Radiata Stories: The Reign of Quasar
by AzureKate
Summary: Jack, now known in the new Vancoor as Jack Dragonheart, has become the vessel of Quasar in Ridley's place. Now, several hundred years later, history has begun to repeat itself, and Jack is faced with the same choices as Aphelion before him. But not everything is exactly the same...and the choice he must make is no exception. Better summary inside! Sequel to Radiata Stories.
1. Prologue

**Summary**

Jack Russell sacrificed himself to save Ridley, the girl he loved. By becoming the vessel for the Gold Dragon himself and sparing her from doing just that, he had sacrificed normal life.

Years have passed; the humanless world was empty and uneventful. The elves stayed north, the orcs stayed south, and even the goblins seemed to become calmer. Jack sat alone in what was once Theater Vancoor, wondering what the rest of his immortal life would be before the change.

Until one day, the human race was reborn.

Jack was so surprised by the rebirth of the human race, and extremely joyful. But only a few centuries into their life, Jack could already feel the cosmic balance tipping too far. Soon, everything would have to be reset once again, and Aphelion would be reborn. Jack eventually began to recognize faces as they grew older…and realized that all of the people he had known during his human life were being reborn. Which meant there wasn't much time left…

Jack, having claimed leadership of the new and reborn Theater Vancoor, stands idly by as the balance begins to tumble. The dragons begin to appear, and are slain by the exact same people as the previous life… History was repeating itself.

And as time quickly passes, Jack realizes that he is now faced with a choice…the same choice as Aphelion before him.

Jack would have to make a choice.

And it would be _nothing_ like the choice that Aphelion had made.

**A heads up::** **This story is intended for people who know the storyline of Radiata Stories at least pretty well. I'm gonna use a lot of characters from the game without introducing them or explaining who they are, and a lot of characters in this fic will be different from the original with new stories/backgrounds that will play off the original. If you don't know it that well, you can watch the cutscenes on youtube, or read up on the separate characters on the game's wiki. Happy reading! :)**

**Prologue (Part 1): **_Faces I Know_

The armored Jack Russell walked down the Path of Insanity and Fanaticism, breathing in the morning air. The majority of his face was hidden behind the light green helm of his legendary armor, which was not unlike the face of a reptile. He had obtained the armor from a distant dimension during the extent of his short human life, and, having never found any better armor, had never adorned any other. He was well-known through the revitalized city of Radiata for his unique armor, and also for his title as "Faceless" Chief of the Warrior Guild, Theater Vancoor.

He was suddenly shoved roughly—but not necessarily forcefully—from behind. He took a step forward reached back, snatching the small hand of whomever had tried to grab something from his belt. He turned to face the would-be thief, and found himself looking at a boy who was less than half of his height, with olive-colored skin and white hair. Jack had seen the boy roaming the dark shadows of the city plenty of times, usually looking quite antagonistic compared to the other children…but now his face was plastered with fear.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, not angry but not happy. The kid tried to pull free from Jacks' grip, but found he couldn't.

He stuttered out frightfully, "T-t-they dared me to do it! They told me to try and s-s-steal 10 dagols from your pouch! They said if I d-d-didn't do it, then I was a c-coward! I'm _not_ a coward! I said if I could steal from the chief of Vancoor then I was the best there ever was in the b-b-Bandit Guild! And someday I will be the best!"

"What's your name?" Jack asked.

"…Ortoroz."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. He knew this child from his human life.

"Would you like to know a secret? Stealing from me wouldn't make you the best there ever was. But being my _friend _would be. All powerful men have to have powerful friends, right? Then no one would mess with you."

The fear was gone. It was all wonder and infatuation now.

"You're right!" the young Ortoroz cried.

Jack reached into his pouch and pulled out 10 dagols. "Here." He gave the money to the child. "Take this as a symbol of our new friendship and show that to your friends. But to stay friends with me, you'll have to prove yourself. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" he yelled. "I'll be the best and you'll be proud! I'll prove myself to you…you just watch!"

Clutching the dagols in his hands, the child took off down the street and rounded a corner, going quickly out of sight. Jack continued on his walk, thinking about the child. Ortoroz was a man whom Jack had known while he was still human; Ortoroz was the leader of the Bandit Guild, the Void Community. Aside from meaning that the child really _would_ prove himself to be among the best, this also meant that…the people Jack knew were being reborn?

Jack looked as he passed a Vareth student. Did he know this girl, as well?

Suddenly, someone said, "I saw what you did."

Jack turned to look at who had addressed him.

"Why would you want to be friends with a kid from the Void?" the young man asked. He was golden haired, and wearing a Vareth uniform. He was holding three large books in his left arm, and a globe in his free hand. Jack's eyes honed in on the globe; it looked familiar. And then, as if almost on cue, a baby owl crawled out from behind the boy's collar, perching on his shoulder…and that was all it took for Jack to recognize him instantly.

"Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves, no? Isn't that what you want, Curtis? A chance to prove yourself?"

The young Curtis was surprised that Jack knew him. "Yes, of course, but being a bandit isn't exactly an _ideal_ profession. At least I don't think so."

"To each their own," Jack said with a shrug. Curtis shrugged back.

"Also, if I may ask…how do you know who I am? I don't have any friends in the Warrior Guild. I barely even go into the Yellow Town."

"I'm a Guild Chief. It's my job to know what's happening. And I know—call it gut instinct—that you're going to be one of the best mages in the whole institute someday." And by best mage in the institute, he meant _leader_ of the institute.

Curtis laughed at him. "Maybe in my dreams. I blow up everything I touch."

"Practice makes perfect."

"If you say so," he said, continuing on past him. "I've got to go, I have a class soon. Nice speaking with you."

Jack nodded and watched him go. His stomach twisted into knots. If the people he knew were being reborn, then surely that meant that history was repeating itself. And if history was repeating itself, then he knew exactly what was to come…and who he was to meet in only a few years…

Jack decided to cut his walk short out of fear of recognizing other children. He didn't want to think about it. He couldn't accept that he would have to go through the same ordeals as he had when he was human. The war, the deaths, Algandars disease...Ridley…

No.

He would _not_ accept it. And nothing could change it. It simply could _not_ be true. So two people had been reborn. Big deal. That didn't mean everyone he knew would be.

Could it?

**Prologue (Part Two [Several Decades Later]):** _The Pain of a Fallen Brother_

The water dragon Kelvin had awakened.

Jack had locked himself in his room in Vancoor, refusing to acknowledge anything. When the castle had called upon the Guild Leaders, Jack threw the letter in the fire. When the castle sent a guard to retrieve him in desperation, he refused and sent his deputy chief in his stead. Jack would have nothing to do with this sudden turn of events. He would have _nothing_ to do with the slaying of dragons. And he absolutely would not meet with any knights. If he was correct, then his father would be one of the knights, and the knight to slay the water dragon. Jack wouldn't think about it. He barely had any memory of his father, and honestly, that was a hole that Jack preferred unfilled.

Years had passed since he met the young Curtis and Ortoroz and both had already taken control of their Guilds, and still—despite all of those years—Jack could not wrap his head around the fact that history was repeating itself. He had really begun to wish that he had known Aphelion, so he would have some clue about how to handle this situation. He knew the water dragon would be slain, and if he went to its aid, then he would become the enemy of mankind. And he was quite enjoying being welcome with his own race once again. Though he had fought alongside the non-humans for a good cause, one which he believed in, he was not eager to return to them.

There was a knock at his door. He ignored it. His helm was sitting on his desk beside him, and he was resting his head on his hands. He wasn't tired, but felt exhausted nonetheless. There was a second knock, a faint sigh, and then silence. All that was to be heard was the distant voices of the people on the floors below his own. The chatter of his sergeants with their squad members. He could barely recognize the voice of his Deputy Chief; he must have already returned.

Then there was a loud knock on the door. "Open up, Chief!" It was the Deputy Chief. "I'm coming in."

Don't you dare.

The door flew open, and the massive armored redhead stormed in, looking angry. Jack, in the blink of an eye, had returned his helm to his head, hiding his eternally-young face. "Why are you hiding in here, Jack?"

"I don't do dragons," he said very matter-of-factly.

"You're afraid?!"

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"I'm almost disappointed," he said. "This is a perfect chance for us to steal the glory! And you're going to just let the knights steal our chance?"

Was Elwen the chief at this point in time, during the last life? Did she have this same argument? What would she have said?

"If the knights would like to run off and slay the dragon, then let them."

His deputy was shocked. "I've just returned from the meeting at the castle. They wanted _us_ to go, Jack, not the knights. But since you won't agree to send our warriors, they're sending knights instead. They've already sent a squad out! A squad of their best! Some knight named Ruffles or something is leading the charge."

"You mean _Russell."_

"Yeah, that's the guy. Jack, we could have taken the dragon. You might be afraid, but we're not. Why won't you let us go? To represent our guild, and earn ourselves the honor and glory we deserve? Those damn knights are probably already there by now!"

Jack began to briefly reminisce. The horrible memories drifted backing into his mind…the memories of watching the dragons, who were his friends, on his _side_, be slain by less-than-respectable knights, and being unable to do anything to save them. Not to mention, Jack _himself_ was now a dragon, and there were only five in the world now. How could he be expected to be responsible for their being slain?

Absolutely not.

"You may not see eye to eye with me on this, Wight, but I have a very solid view on dragons. I absolutely will not allow the guild to be stained with dragon blood. This conversation is over. If you have more to say, I don't want to hear it. Have a good day, deputy. Get _out._"

Wight gave a deep frown, and stood still for a moment. Then he turned and left, slamming the door behind him. Jack could only think: he'll get over it. He removed his helm again and rested his head on the tabletop, closing his eyes. He sat there for a good while, just thinking, and focusing on the distant conversation beneath him to try and relax.

His relaxation was cut short when suddenly, a sharp pain struck his chest. Jack cried out and clutched his chest. The pain didn't dull or fade; it persisted. After a few moments, if finally faded away, but then once it was nearly gone, a bubbling pain overtook his head, like one of the worst headaches he had ever received. Jack imagined it as being equivalent to being struck on the head with a blunt axe over and over and over again.

Jack fell from his chair to the floor, crying out and holding his head. He could feel in his chest that something closely connected to him was departing. He was new to being a dragon, but knew exactly what this intense feeling was.

It was the pain of a dragon, his brother, being slain. And he knew then that Kelvin was dead at the hands of his father. Or man who _should_ have been his father.

Jack lay on the floor, writhing in pain, until there was a knock at the door followed by a concerned voice. Jack couldn't move or speak, he could only cry in pain. Then the door opened, and Wight stepped back into sight.

His eyes widened with shock. He rushed over to Jack and lifted him into his arms, gazing upon the young face of his chief which he had never seen. "What's wrong with you?" he cried.

"The dragon is slain," Jack managed to say to him, before his vision began to fade. He felt Wight lift him up, and then everything went black.

**A/N: A few years ago I watched a video about the game ending, and saw a comment that someone had theorized Jack had taken Ridley's place as the vessel at the end of the nonhuman path, since his voice is echoing just like Ridley's had been. I remembered this tonight and though it would make an interesting fanfiction. And so the journey begins! :)**


	2. Memories

Radiata Stories: The Reign of Quasar

_AzureKate_

**Chapter One**

_16 Years Later_

The legendary Jack Dragonheart could hear one of his guild members endlessly complaining in a squad room he was passing. "Why do I have to do it? That's not a mission…that's a chore…"

His deputy chief Gerald was quick to shoot him down with his booming, authoritative voice. "We all must do our share of chores, David. Even I've gone out to hang up fliers."

"Make Jarvis do it," David complained.

"Jarvis _is_ going to do it. The two of you are going together."

Jack heard an exasperated sigh.

"Don't you sigh at me, boy."

"Sorry, sir."

"You're going together because it's _your_ squads that we're recruiting for. Have a little responsibility."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get going! Hang up or hand out 50 fliers by sunset. And _don't_ give them to kids."

The door swung open and David came out, holding his helm in his hand. He saw Jack—standing there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed—and was a little surprised. "Hello, chief."

"Good afternoon, sergeant," he replied. David kept his head down as he went past, pulling on his helm as he began down the stairs with a quiet sigh of annoyance. Gerald stepped out and looked at Jack.

"Sassy lad, there," he said. Jack just nodded. "I had a feeling he'd give me grief when I told him to go hang up the recruitment fliers. It's _his_ squad…you'd think he'd have a sense of responsibility. Remind me why you promoted him to sergeant?"

"He's new," Jack replied. "I'm sure he'll warm up to it. And if he somehow manages to weasel his way out of doing it, then he just won't get any recruits. No recruits, no missions. He's bound to wake up if he's just sitting around not doing anything."

"Yes, that's probably the _best_ way to wake him up. If I hadn't already given them the fliers, I'd go back and change them all to Hecton Squad fliers so he wouldn't get any regardless. He's acting like we're just gonna give him everything he needs."

"That's a little cold," Jack laughed. "I like it."

Gerald laughed as well and then went back into his squad room. Jack went to the stairs and went all the way down to the first floor. Thanos was sitting at the front desk, looking helplessly bored as usual and on the brink of falling asleep. He saw Jack approaching and quickly tried to look like he was busy.

"Good afternoon, Thanos," Jack said, ignoring that Thanos had been about to fall asleep on the job. Thanos cleared his throat.

"Mm, nice day today," he choked out, straightening papers. Jack walked over and leaned on the desk. Alicia was at the desk beside him, flipping through the requests that Thanos had placed out that morning. She smiled at Jack and resumed her browsing.

"Been getting a good amount of requests recently, Thanos?"

"Yes, sir. Lots. Great for business. A couple in there offering some really good dagol rewards."

Jack nodded approvingly.

"Not a whole lot of new ones today though. People are getting prepared for the new Knight Trainee Selection Trials."

Jack's heart skipped a beat.

The Trials hadn't even crossed his mind. Had it really already been 16 years?

"Something wrong, chief?"

Jack tried to snap out of his trance. "No." Without another word he turned on his heel and went toward the door. He pushed it open and went outside, turning left and walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the castle. He saw David in the distance, walking slowly along the wall and hanging fliers with a noticeable lack of excitement. In fact, he looked quite miserable. But Jack didn't care about him. He walked along the sidewalk past him and didn't even glance at him. David mumbled something about Jarvis being late as he passed, but Jack ignored him. He could see the castle not far ahead of him, and his eyes zoned in on it. He walked faster, faster—up the hill and finally he stood in front of the large front gate. A heavy guardsman was standing on either side, watching him, still as stone as they always were.

And there it was. Nailed on the castle wall beside the door was a flier. A flier advertising the Knight Trainee Selection Trials. Jack walked up to it. He had been so busy immersing himself in his work as chief that he had gone without even so much as hearing about the approaching trials. He had been purposely avoiding the castle in the years before out of fear of seeing _her._

His Ridley.

But the time had come for the Trials. She would be selected to become a knight.

And if history repeated itself exactly, he knew that he would need to become a part of her life once again. And soon.

But as he stared at the flier, another realization sank in. These were the Trials that Jack himself had attended during his human life. He, alongside Ridley, had been selected to become a knight trainee in the new squad, simply for the fact that they recognized his last name, Russell.

But Jack was here. Chief of Vancoor. The Faceless Chief, the man now known around the city as Dragonheart because of the episode he had after the slaying of the Water Dragon. His apparent connection to the dragons had given birth to a plethora of rumors about him. Most of which weren't at all true. And of course every soul in the city was unbearably curious about his age. He had been chief for decades. Long enough for any man to be dead. But Jack was always very careful to always wear his helm in public, and keep to himself about such personal things.

But this was a point in history that Jack should be there.

How could he be there?

Jack dwelled on that question. Who would be there in his place? Had he been reborn, just like everyone else, and now was coexisting with himself? Was someone new born in his place? Had he been replaced? Would Ridley fall in love with this replacement instead of him?

Or was no one there at all?

If someone new had been born to take his place and was destined to fall in love with Ridley as he had…what would he do? Would he be able to stand idly by while some new man took his Ridley? Would he be able to handle it? He feared not. He couldn't bear to see her with anyone else. She was his Ridley, the love of his life. It had been centuries since she had died, but still he never forgot her, or loved her any less. She was always in his thoughts, and especially always in his dreams. Even though he was no longer a part of human history, he couldn't watch her be with anyone else, even if it _was_ a different Ridley in a different life.

"Is something the matter, sir?"

Jack turned to look at the one who had addressed him. It was the guardsman closest to him, standing beside the gate. Jack couldn't see his face through his bucket-shaped helmet, but his voice alone showed that for whatever reason, the man was concerned, if only a little.

Jack realized he must have been standing there for a while, staring uncomfortably at the flier. He offered the guardsman a smile, since his own helm left his mouth exposed. "Yes. Sorry. I was just lost in thought. When are the Trials for the new brigade?"

"They're tomorrow, sir. Aren't you Chief Dragonheart? Surely you knew already when they were."

"Actually no…I haven't heard about them until now. I've been busy."

He gave a slight nod to the guardsmen and turned, heading back into the city toward Vancoor. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would have to watch for…_himself._ Or someone like him, arriving from the distant village to participate in the trials. Jack recalled arriving early in the morning on the day of the trials, lugging around his father's legendary Arbitrator sword, and probably standing out in the city like a sore thumb. Surely if there was someone anything like him journeying to the city in the morning, Jack would notice him.

David hadn't progressed very far, and there were four fliers all within sight. Too close together.

When Jack was beside him, he stopped. David looked at him. "Chief?"

"Don't put them so close together," he said, frowning. One would think it would be obvious that the fliers should be spread out. David stared at him, clearly unenthused. "I know that this is a difficult task for you, David, but spread them out around the city. Or have you gotten fat and lazy from sitting around all day arguing with Gerald? Maybe I made a mistake promoting you."

There was an extremely defined look of anger and fury in David's eyes through the slits in his helm. Jack could clearly see it. He looked very insulted.

"No, sir! You did not make a mistake!" he shouted, straightening up. "I will prove that your choice was well-made as soon as I am given a mission that will allow me to prove myself!"

Jack was almost annoyed. "You won't _get_ any missions until you have a squad. Hence the point of hanging up the damn _fliers."_

Jack turned and continued along the sidewalk before David could shoot back any overconfident replies. He could hear David grumbling behind him and the sound of paper being torn off the wall, but Jack was fed up with him and more than finished with speaking to him. He was prone to easily getting annoyed with his guild members in recent times. Of course, he was automatically expecting them to be the amazing warriors that they were when he met them as a human in his past life. Of course, that was when Jack was new to being a warrior and looked up to everyone.

Now he felt like he was just constantly looking _down_ at everyone. Why had he admired them all so much as a human?

He reached the front door of Vancoor and went inside, going straight toward the stairs without acknowledging anyone. Thanos glanced his way, again trying to make himself look busy. Rolec was standing by the board, looking just as unconfident and pathetic as always. Another thought popped into Jack's mind.

Regarding all the people that Jack had helped during his short human life, what would happen to them now that he wasn't there in that position to help them? Jack had become a well-known and respected warrior, one full of pride. He was the leader of the guild, most powerful warrior in Radiata, especially with Elwen out of the picture. He wasn't the same as he was back when he was only 16 years old, the newest member of the old guild looking to make friends with everyone. He was far past the point of journeying into the Path the Spider to find a missing contact lens. _Why_ Carlos would _ever_ reuse a contact lens that he dropped into the _sewer_ was so far beyond Jack. No amount of money could convince him to use a contact that had been in the sewer. Jack was also too concerned with his personal problems than to watch Rolec for a day, wait for him to go into the bathroom, and give him a good kick to make him feel better about himself.

And there were tons of others who would be looking for a young, inexperienced Jack to help them. The Jack who didn't exist anymore. The Jack who _may_ have been replaced or reborn anyway…but also may not have. Jack didn't have time to trek out to the Septem Region to get the Book of Fairies for Aldo. He would never be in a party with Clive, one of his oldest friends. Running around for soup recipes was out of the question, especially since it would require him to go to his hometown, where his sister would be living, no doubt. What would he say if he saw her? She wouldn't remember him—and he would look like a fool if he made it obvious that _he_ knew _her._

And Jack sure as _hell_ wasn't delivering some phony love letter for David. That kid could go fall into Borgandiazo for all Jack cared.

He bounded up the stairs and went into his office, closing the door behind him. He sighed and walked to his desk, pulling off his helm and running his armored hands through his thick brown hair. He just needed to be alone. Which was a strange thing for him to be craving, since he was alone much more than he was with company. He sat down and dwelled on everything, which he knew probably wasn't a good idea, but what was there that he could really do now? Talking to someone about it was obviously out of the question. Hi, I bet you didn't know this but I'm Jack Russell, son of Cairn the Dragonslayer, and I'm actually the vessel of Quasar. I'm a bit stressed out right now. Pretty soon all the humans are gonna die. What do you think I should do?

Jack chuckled. Yeah, that was out of the question.

He couldn't help but wonder if Aphelion had all of these same problems and concerns. Did Aphelion sit in some chair dwelling over the future before he decided to do what he did? Before he realized what his wish was, and what to do to make it real? Of course Aphelion was a bit more efficient than Jack was proving to be. By this point, Aphelion would have already been in Radiata Castle for over 16 years, already putting his plan into motion to save the human race. He failed…but would Jack end up with the same choice? Let the cycle continue, or try to stop it?

He realized his biggest mistake was avoiding the question for _so_ long, and now it was so _close._ He had such little time left to make such a hard decision. He really should have been considering his options much sooner, and now it might even be too _late_ to really make a difference, especially one on the scale that Aphelion had. Aphelion betrayed his fellow dragons in favor of saving the humans…and even helped to orchestrate their deaths. Jack wasn't sure he could do that, if only for the fear of feeling the _pain _of a brother being slain again.

But someone else was behind the plans to kill the dragons now. Perhaps it was Lucian, reborn again but only this time as a human, instead of Aphelion.

And as Jack traced a knot in his wooden desk, he asked himself…where was Elwen? He had thrown off the repeating history by taking her place as chief. He had yet to see her anywhere in Radiata. Surely she was somewhere. It wasn't like he had taken her place in _history…_he had merely taken her job.

There was a knock at the door, and Jack sighed. He didn't say anything; he reached for his helm and pulled it on, knowing that it was probably Gerald knocking and that Gerald usually had no intention of waiting for permission after knocking.

And Jack was right, Gerald soon opened the door and walked inside.

"Hey, Chief. I saw you storming up the stairs. You looked pretty disturbed."

Understatement of the century.

"I was just wondering if there was anything I can do to help. I know that you're not big on violence, so just thought I'd let you know that if there's anyone giving you trouble, I'd be more than happy to pound their face in."

Jack smiled. "Thank you, Gerald, but I'm fine. And more than capable of taking care of myself. I appreciate your concern."

"_Is_ there anything I can do to help you out? I mean, you've been good to me all these years. I'd like to return the favor."

Jack had _just_ decided that talking to someone about his personal problem was out of the question.

"Again, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

"If you say so." He turned to leave.

"Do me a favor, though," Jack began. Gerald turned around, waiting to hear his request. "I ran into David outside. He was hanging up fliers every three feet. Make sure he's not still doing that, would you?"

Gerald sighed. "That boy is hopeless."

**(The Next Morning)**

The sun had just barely risen into the sky, but Jack was wide awake. He was sitting on the ground in the Blue Town, leaning against the Vareth Institute sign and staring at the Echidna Gate. He was sure he looked goofy, but he didn't really care. There weren't many people out so early, but he could see a few in the distance. Everyone still followed their same schedules just as they had in the previous life. Jack was sure that he would know where to find anyone he wanted at any time of the day, since he had spent a good chunk of his short human life memorizing everyone's schedules. It had been a few centuries, and sure, Jack was a bit rusty. But he was positive that if need be, he could probably still find anyone.

He had prepared an excuse for anyone curious enough to ask why he was sitting on the ground against the sign so early in the morning, probably looking concerned. He planned to say that he couldn't sleep, and was just enjoying the air. He had been taking a walk and sat down to catch his breath. Which wasn't a lie. It wasn't really a good reason for why he was sitting in the Blue Town on the ground staring at the gate.

But the real reason why he was sitting there, staring intently at the west gate of the city, was because he was waiting to see if someone would walk in through the gates for the trials. Maybe someone that looked _exactly_ like him. Or maybe some stranger, walking by carrying the all-too-familiar Arbitrator in his place. Jack didn't care which. But if he saw someone coming in, he was sure he'd realize that it was the person who had replaced him in history.

And while he sat there on the dusty ground, he again began to dwell on his unanswered questions; a new one that began to bother him was: if someone had been born to replace him in history, then what would happen to him when the cycle restarted and he died? Quasar itself would live on, of course…but Jack would not. But if he had been replaced in history, then how would he be reborn in the new cycle? Would he be reborn in different place…or would he cease to exist forever after his death? It was a concept that made Jack uneasy. Ever since he had thought about it, he had been searching around almost desperately to see a reincarnated Lucian. If he could find him, then that would answer his question. And though he hadn't been looking long, his inability to find him was making him more and more uneasy about his impending fate.

He refused to give up hope, however. If Lucian had been reborn into the same place as before, then he was probably holed up in the castle. In his previous life as a human, Jack _never_ saw Lucian outside of the castle, and in this life he wasn't exactly wandering around in the castle now.

Jack sat there running unanswered questions through his mind over and over, straining his mind to come up with possible answers. The sun rose higher and higher into the sky; he saw Vareth students in the distance hurrying to the institute for classes, and some of them gave Jack confused looks, especially when a few of them came back the other way after what must have been an hour or so. Then they looked especially confused. The light guardsmen by the gate was staring at him curiously the longer he sat there. Jack began to fiddle with his armor rather than acknowledge all of the stares he was obviously getting. Not that he cared about the staring, but he preferred to avoid any conversation with curious people. Though he did fear someone was bound to come up to him sooner or later, wondering why he, Chief Dragonheart, was sitting on the ground in the Blue Town.

He glanced at the sun every once in a while until it was finally high in the sky. He had been sitting there for hours, long enough for it to be midday. It was another con of being the vessel of Quasar…the flow of time seemed a bit distorted to Jack, who was rather disconnected from the world around him. He could sit somewhere for hours and feel like he'd only been there for twenty minutes.

But it was midday now, and no one had come in through Echidna Gate that he didn't recognize as regular citizens of Radiata, people who had been walking their schedules for years. The Trials, he remembered, started around midday. No newly-born Jack had come through the gate, and no dweebish-looking replacement had either. If someone was coming to take his place in the Trials, they would have been there by now.

Unless they had come in through a different gate.

He heard someone walk up to him from behind, and he dreaded the conversation to come: why are you sitting on the ground by Vareth? But when he looked up to see who had come to speak with him, he didn't see a curious Vareth student; he saw Daniel, the short, chubby, baby-faced Vancoor member that Jack had been in a squad with during his human life.

"Hi, Chief!" he said with the same exact exuberance that Jack remembered. He would never ever regret letting him into the reborn guild; Jack loved Daniel almost to death. He was so pleasant to be around, and even though he wasn't the best or most confident fighter, he was the person who kept the entire guild in a good mood. Daniel was a major factor in Jack's decision to have his new Vancoor be made up of all the same people as Elwen's old Vancoor from the last life.

"Gerald sent me to find you," Daniel explained. "People have been wondering where you are! Today's the day of the Trials, remember? We're probably going to get a bunch of new recruits after the Trials who didn't make the cut to be a knight. We always do! Also, Alicia keeps talking about how there's someone who wants to meet you, but she won't tell anyone who."

Jack sighed and adjusted his helm, which was making his left ear sore. "All right, I'm coming."

He stood and started toward the path of Insanity and Fanaticism to head back to Vancoor. Daniel walked alongside him, smiling at nothing in particular. "What were you doing sitting on the ground in Blue Town, anyway? Have you been there all morning?"

"Yes," Jack responded. He decided to go with the honest truth, since Daniel was pretty easy to talk to. "I heard someone was considering entering the Trials, and if they did decide to, they would have come in through the Echidna Gate. But they never showed up. So…they either changed their mind, or maybe came in through another gate."

"Who?"

"Someone I knew from a long time ago."

"An old friend?"

Jack offered him a kind smile. "I guess you could say that."

**(Later that Day)**

Jack sat at his desk, resting his head on the wooden surface. His helm was on the table beside his head, as usual. He let out a long sigh. It was far past sunset, now. The Trials would be over. Even though Daniel had excitedly predicted that the guild would be getting new recruits who failed the Trials, Jack knew from memory that the prediction wasn't true; no failed aspiring knights would be coming to join Vancoor after the trials, except for maybe Ganz in a few days if history followed itself exactly. But the human Jack was the only other recruit, and Jack wasn't in the new cycle, it seemed.

He had asked Daniel to ask around the city that night to find out the results of the Trials. That would answer his real question: had he been reborn? If he had, there would be two new knights: the replacement, and Ridley.

Of course, he knew Ridley would be the one to win the trials. She was an amazing fighter. He smiled to himself as he recalled how Ridley obliterated him during the trials with her Wild Pitch volty. He had despised Ridley then, but now it was one of his most precious memories, because it was of their first meeting.

There was a knock at the door and Daniel's voice drifted in, "Chief?"

He pulled on his helm and called for Daniel to come in. The door creaked open and Daniel came inside. "Hi, Chief. I did what you asked! The Trainee Trials were successful!"

"Did you hear who won?" Jack asked, trying to hold back his feeling that was almost desperation.

"Yep! Paul was in the Trials. He told me that there was one winner, a girl named Ridley Silverlake!"

Jack's heart skipped another beat when Daniel said her name. Ridley Silverlake.

"Only her?" he asked.

"Yep, only her. I guess your friend really did change his mind."

"Yeah, I guess he did. Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate it."

Daniel smiled brightly. "No problem, Chief!" He turned and left the room. Jack slumped back in his chair, pulling off his helm once again and setting it on the table. He closed his eyes. Her name was ringing in his mind endlessly. Ridley. Ridley.

He leaned forward again and buried his face in his arms. She was back. History was following itself almost exactly. Soon, things would turn sour. She would be hurt. Ganz would be fired. The war would start. It was too much for Jack to bear. He hoped there would be some deviation in the new cycle, something that would change history enough for at least Ridley to escape the horrors she suffered in the last life. Maybe Jack's absence in history would do _something_ to change it for the better. Though Jack had been instrumental in the conclusion of the last cycle, he had made more than a few mistakes during his human life. Maybe his absence would correct those mistakes, assuming the mistakes themselves weren't a solid part of history that someone else would make instead.

Jack stood abruptly from his chair, grabbing his helm and making for the door as he pulled it on. He went into the hallway and glided down the staircases to the first floor. Thanos was sitting at his desk as usual, reading over a paper, probably a request. Jack didn't look at him; he walked straight to the door and went outside. He turned left again but instead of going to the castle, he went up the inclined side street to Vancoor Square. It was empty, totally void of people; the fountain was running, spewing its streams into the pool below. This was a place Jack always came to think, to be alone. It was peaceful. Jack loved the sound of the water in the fountain. During his human life, he had the same love; after joining the non-human side, he adored the City of Flowers once he was allowed in. There were beautiful streams there, and it was such a quiet, peaceful, beautiful place. Sometimes he wished he could go back there. But to go there would mean to make an enemy of humankind once again. He wasn't sure he wanted to do that—or at least, he wasn't ready to yet.

He sat down at the edge of the fountain and stared into the water. There were some coins at the bottom; wishes people had made. He reached into the pouch on his belt and pulled out a coin of his own. He held it close and wished with all his heart for guidance; some sign for what he should do. He tossed it in, and watched the ripples on the water's surface.

He turned when he heard the familiar sound of specific armor; Caesar was approaching him. Without a word, Caesar sat beside him, looking into the water as well. Caesar was one who Jack liked to have conversations with, if only to hear Caesar's inspirational words. He sometimes spoke in riddles, but Jack knew from experience as well as memories from his human life that Caesar always meant what he said, and the things he said always had a deeper meaning and were almost _always_ right.

"You're distant, recently," Caesar said after a moment. "Troubled."

"I guess so," Jack replied, not really sure what to say.

"What is weighing so heavily on your mind?"

Jack knew he couldn't speak freely or truthfully, but he so wanted to talk to _someone_ about what he was feeling; he wanted to ask for advice. Caesar was a person that Jack used to go to when he was troubled…but Jack couldn't go to him for this.

"I just…" he began, trying to find the right thing to say, and the proper wording. "I have a choice to make. A choice that's going affect _everyone,_ no matter what my choice is in the end. A friend of mine had the same choice to make a long time ago, but…it didn't end so well. I don't know what to do." It was the truth, and saying it out loud to someone made Jack feel much better, even if he was being vague about it. And while he wasn't exactly sure if he could call Aphelion his friend, he had no better way to word it…and it seemed only right. They were in the exact same situation now. Jack had killed Aphelion, but…maybe he shouldn't have. While he didn't entirely regret his decision, he certainly wished he could speak to him now. He liked to think they _would_ have been friends. Aphelion had been so sure in his choices, in his wishes, and in his actions…Jack envied him.

He was grateful for the brief moment of silence from Caesar. He was even more grateful when Caesar didn't try to ask for more details; Caesar was always one to respect Jack's privacy. "You need to look inside for what you seek. Follow your heart, and do what you think is right. Is your friend still around, to offer you council?"

"…No. He died a long time ago."

Caesar just nodded. "Think back on what he did, what he chose. You said that his choice didn't end well. Try to realize any mistakes he may have made…and correct them yourself."

He crossed his arms and fell silent. Jack sat there, even quieter, and let his words sink in. Correct Aphelion's mistakes. He didn't really know Aphelion, so pinpointing his mistakes wouldn't necessarily be too easy. He knew the general idea Aphelion had… he wanted to allow the humans to continue on. He wanted to kill Quasar and the other dragons, to spare the humans from their wrath. Maybe the way he wanted to go about it was his big mistake.

Jack wasn't sure.

"I'm confident you will make the right choice," Caesar said with a nod. Without another word, he smiled at Jack, stood, and left the square.

Jack smiled to himself. He was always grateful for Caesar.

He sat there, staring into the fountain. When he looked up after a long while, he saw the sun rising. He had been there all night, _again._ He didn't feel tired, but wasn't expecting, or planning, to stay by the fountain all night. He stood and stretched, and then left the square. He made his way back to the front of Vancoor. He climbed the stairs, and reached for the doorknob.

But as he went to reach for it, it stopped.

The Rose Cochon brigade would be passing by soon on its first mission to Earth Valley. He turned slowly, and sat down on the stairs. He stared at the sun as it rose; it wasn't quite bright enough to hurt his eyes yet. As it creeped higher in the sky, the more anxious he became. Ridley was coming. _She was coming._

He was going to see her again. After so many centuries of being alone.

Then, he heard clunking armor approaching. He looked over his shoulder.

Surely enough, Ganz was approaching.

The short, chubby, waddling Ganz, wearing his round and shining blue armor. His big round eyes were full of determination and pride, the pride of a newly-captained knight. He walked past Vancoor, and glanced at Jack. He stopped when he saw him, and stared for a moment, as though unsure of something. Jack felt uneasy under his gaze.

"Good morning, sir," Ganz finally said, smiling. He seemed to be over his brief episode.

"Good morning, Captain," Jack said. Shit! Why did he call him captain? He wasn't his captain now. That was in the past. Jack cursed himself angrily in silence. But Ganz wasn't confused or taken aback.

"Yes, I am a captain now," he said proudly, not even caring for or realizing the _real_ reason Jack had addressed him as so. "New! My brigade will be going on its first mission today. I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not entirely too sure I know your name…You're Chief Dragonheart, correct?"

"Yes."

"Ah! I haven't seen you. I've heard descriptions of your armor, but I've never seen it myself. It is quite a fascinating suit, I must say! So majestic looking. The things I've heard don't quite do it justice."

"Thank you, sir. I like it a lot myself."

"I would imagine, since I've heard you wear it every day, and have for decades! I hear some fascinating things about you in the castle from time to time. You are quite an interesting topic."

Jack smiled. "It's not always for the best. I prefer to keep to myself. But then again, my silence seems to feed the unbelievable amount of rumors there are about me."

"Are any of them true?" Ganz asked, almost eagerly.

"Most of them aren't." He smiled when Ganz looked a little disappointed. Surely Ganz was among the hundreds who believed Jack to have golden dragon eyes. One of the many untrue rumors, unfortunately.

Jack looked as another familiar face appeared around the corner. Clive of the Olacion Order, walking along with the same dumb smile that Jack remembered. He had only seen Clive in the city once before, a few years earlier. But now he was just as Jack remembered him. Ganz waved to Clive, who waved clumsily back.

She would be coming soon.

"Waiting on your squad? There's only one other person, right?" Jack asked, hoping to make conversation to keep his mind off of Ridley.

Ganz nodded. "Yes, the young Ridley Silverlake. She was the victor of the trials by a landslide! She has so much potential. I'm proud to be her captain."

Jack realized he had made a mistake asking specifically about her. How would asking about her keep his mind off of her? He wanted to slap himself for his stupidity. His heart began to ache more and more as he thought more about her.

"Something wrong, sir?" Ganz asked. "You seem so sad all of a sudden."

Of course Ganz would pick up on his heartache. "I'm fine." He tried to smile but was sure it wasn't at all convincing. Ganz didn't say anything.

And then he heard it. Someone approaching. His whole body froze in place, all of his muscles tense. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest plate at a pace he never thought possible. He squeezed his eyes shut. He slowly stood up, and then turned toward the approaching footsteps. Then, he opened his eyes.

And there she was.

Ridley Silverlake.

She was exactly as he remembered her. Her long hair was tied into pigtails with the long red ribbon, and she was wearing the thick tunic, skirt, and high boots of the female trainee uniform. Her big green eyes looked bored, unenthused about her first mission with Ganz, exactly as he remembered. She looked at Clive and almost rolled her eyes.

And then she looked right at Jack, and froze.

She seemed more disturbed than Ganz had. She stared at Jack, and Jack stared at her. Jack's heart was beating so hard, so fast, and so loudly, that Jack could hear it pounding in his ears. All of his memories rushed back at once. His beloved Ridley was right in front of him. So easily, he could run up to her and embrace her, and cry that she was finally back after who knows how many centuries. Jack had been alone for so long with nothing but memories of her that all he wanted was to hold her and kiss her and forget everything.

But he needed to stop himself. He forced himself to stay where he was. She finally unfroze and resumed her approach toward Ganz and Clive.

She tore her gaze from Jack, and Jack felt his heart crack… just a little.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Ridley!" Ganz exclaimed. "This is Dragonheart, chief of Theater Vancoor, the warrior guild!"

She was silent for a moment. "Nice to meet you."

"My real name is Jack," he said, almost too quietly for any of them to ear. He was still staring at Ridley through the pitch black eyes of his helm. He couldn't look away. He briefly was self-conscious about his staring, but then remembered that they couldn't see his eyes. "Call me Jack." It was almost surreal to be looking at her. Time was moving strangely. Everything else was dim in comparison.

"Nice to meet you…" she said. "I'm…Ridley Silverlake."

She was staring back at him again.

Ganz patted her on the back. "All right! We have a mission! A long journey to the dwarf lands awaits us. Ridley, Jack, stop fooling around. Let's go!"

Ganz turned and began walking toward the gate. Jack was staring at him in awe.

"What?" Jack asked, meaning to think it, but accidentally saying it out loud.

Ganz froze, and turned around slowly. He looked confused.

"Uh…forgive me, sir. I don't know what came over me. Let's go, Ridley!"

He turned and resumed his march toward the gate, flanked by Clive. Jack stared at him for a moment, and then looked back at Ridley. She was staring at him again, looking confused. She looked like she was searching for something, and searching hard.

Ganz called for her again, and she tore her gaze from him once again and took off in a jog to catch up with the two men. As she drew further and further away, the more Jack wanted to cry. He didn't want her to go. He almost let himself chase after her.

But once she was almost out of sight, he forced himself to turn around and go into Vancoor. He went quickly for the stairs. Thanos was at the desk, talking to Gerald, and both looked at him in shock as he stormed through the lobby. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

It took all he had to stop the tears from bursting forth.

But she wasn't the only thing disturbing him.

Ganz had just proven to him…that the two of them still had some memory of him.

_They knew something was missing._

**A/N: Sorry for the long, long wait for this update. I was on my iPod shuffle and the song Those With and Without Humanity from the game popped up. Made me remember this fic, haha!**

**There's a lot of internal conflict in this chapter, I realize that. I promise there won't be as much in the future chapters. We're getting to more action. Everyone who has played the game knows that pretty soon, a certain orc is going to try and attack Jack's precious, beautiful Ridley.**

**I mean…he's got to do something about that, right?**

**Hmmmmmm.**

**(also, I'm trying really hard to stay accurate to the games. I have the game turned on and the strategy guide out to write this, to make sure I have all of the locations, people, schedules, and the game storyline down perfectly. I hope that's paying off! :D)**


	3. It's Personal

Jack tangled the ribbon around his fingers, trying desperately to distract himself from his dilemma. For the past two days he'd kept himself holed up in his room, refusing to see anyone. Gerald had tried a few times to see him—and he'd undoubtedly try again—but Jack had thus managed to evade contact. Jack had occasionally taken these "mental health days," and Gerald always did just fine as acting chief for the day. But Jack took them very rarely, and never longer than a day. It was sunrise of the third day he'd been holed up. He knew the guild would be curious as to what's keeping him; Gerald at least knew something was bothering him, and of course Caesar, since Jack had confided in him. He hoped they would respect his privacy, and that the rest of the guild wouldn't get too nosey into his business.

He could _not_ stop thinking about Ridley. His beautiful, perfect Ridley. She _remembered_ him…if only a little. He pulled on the ribbon harder, tying a string of knots, pulling them loose, and then doing it again. It offered him sanctuary from his suffering for just a moment until he looked hard at the ribbon and was reminded of Ridley's red hair ribbons. He tore the ribbon off of his fingers and threw it on the floor with a sigh.

Almost immediately after, there was a knock on the door.

Jack sighed again; he knew that eventually someone would come knocking, but he'd been dreading it. He still wanted to be alone.

It was Gerald again. "Hey, Chief. You comin' out today?"

Jack didn't reply. No, he probably _wasn't_ coming out today.

Gerald waited a moment to continue. "The other guild members are wondering where you are. I understand that something is really bothering you, but you'll have to come out sooner or later. Also a letter arrived for you from the castle this morning; apparently it's urgent. Thanos is holding it for you."

Jack probably should have thanked him, but once again he remained silent. It was quiet for a few seconds, and Jack was mentally _daring_ Gerald to try and come in—but he didn't.

After a few long moments, he heard Gerald's voice, "Please come out today, Chief."

And then he heard receding heavy footsteps as Gerald left. He let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he'd have more time to be alone. He glanced up at his ticking clock, the source of the only sound in the deadly-still room. It was just past 7 am. He thought back on his human life; it would be the day the Rose Cochon brigade would be leaving Earth Valley to return to Radiata, escorting the dwarf and his cart. They would be just short of two hours from arriving back at the castle. He remembered the un_bearably_ boring trek back to the castle with the dwarf and his cart; it took much longer than it would have were it just them moving along at normal speed. The cart was _so_ slow. And he remembered the pain in the ass goblins that attacked them, trying to take the goat pulling the cart—

The _goblins!_

Jack sat up straight in his seat, remembering the impending goblin attack on the returning knights and dwarf—it would happen in about half an hour. He glanced at the clock, staring hard for a second and contemplating whether or not he should go stop it. He couldn't help but think that the squad would be considerably weaker without himself in it, as a 16 year old human knight trainee. He wasn't in his life as his normal self, so that spot in the knight brigade was unfilled—and he feared that with it empty, the brigade may not handle the goblin ambush as easily as they had in the previous life.

So, he pulled his helm on, and stood from his chair. Looks like he _would_ be coming out today.

He went for the door, opening it as quietly as he could. He was hoping he could slip out of Vancoor without anyone noticing him. He'd need to be sneaky to get past Gerald. He knew that if Gerald realized he was out of his room, he'd bombard him with questions and Jack would be delayed. The small hut where the goblins would surely be lying in wait was not far from Radiata's Heliforde gate—he could make it to disperse them before the brigade would even reach the hut, if he went quickly.

That meant sneaking past Gerald, and the rest of the guild.

All he really had to do was make it down to the second floor; he could use the back door to get out into the Yellow Town. He wouldn't even have to pass the front of Vancoor to get to the gate; it was the opposite direction.

He quietly made his way over to the staircase and began to slowly go down. He was hoping that no one would be coming up any of the staircases as he made his way down. He hoped Gerald had returned to his squad room—he knew Gerald had a mission he should have been explaining that day. He made it safely down to the third floor, and quickly rounded the corner to continue down toward the second floor. He was so close!

But his fear was realized—as he rounded to reach the second floor, Daniel was there.

He smiled up at Jack, his eyes sparkling. "Chief! You're out of your room! Are you feeling better? Were you sick?"

Jack hurriedly shushed him, surprising him. "Daniel, shh! I don't want Gerald or any sergeants to see me."

"What's wrong?" Daniel whispered back.

"One of my friends is in trouble. I'm sneaking out to go help her. If anyone sees me, I won't make it in time!"

"Oh, okay," Daniel said, nodding. "I can cover for you! Go out the back door!" He waved him along. Jack thanked the _gods_ for Daniel and his perfect little chubby self. Jack went quickly past him, opening the back door and sneaking out, leaving a smiling Daniel behind. He bounded down the staircase to the road, and took off running toward the bridge that his old house was under. Fernando was on the bridge, practicing his moves as he always was early in the morning; he cast a curious look to Jack as he ran by. Jack ignored him and ran into White Town. Everyone he passed shot him strange looks. He didn't particularly care, but he knew that news of Dragonheart running through the city would make it to Vancoor in likely less than ten minutes. He couldn't do _anything_ outside of Vancoor's walls without the whole city knowing, thanks to the fact he was so mythical.

He made it through the White Town to the Heliforde gate in good time; the light guardsman, like everyone else, stared at him almost in awe as he ran past. He ran across the bridge into the Dova region, wasting no time. Even running, he'd likely make it just in time to the hut where the goblins were. He might even reach it at around the same time as the brigade. He didn't care if he did—either way, he'd be getting rid of the goblins. If he beat them, great; if not, he'd just say he was passing by on a personal mission. He wasn't sure what kind of mission he could claim to have been on, being the Chief, but he didn't think too hard on it.

He ran effortlessly until finally the hut was in sight. He glanced down the road; he couldn't see the brigade, though he knew they'd be arriving soon. He could see the three green goblins crouched behind the small building, lying in wait for the unsuspecting brigade and dwarf cart. He stopped and took a breath, before walking quietly toward the troublesome trio. To his surprise, no matter how close he got, they didn't notice he was there. He reached and readied his massive, shimmering Ancient Axe, holding it firmly in his right hand. He stood behind the trio for a moment, listening to them mumble to each other in anticipation.

"Wooly man coming soon!" Gob said excitedly. Aesop was chattering his teeth, and Monki was basically drooling, waving his head around.

"We eat their goat! Dumb knights won't see us coming!" Aesop added.

Jack sighed at the three beady-eyed goblins. He couldn't believe how pathetically unaware they were.

Finally, he cleared his throat, and all three of them jumped in horror, spinning around to face him. They all brandished their weapons with shaky hands, staring up at the tall, armored man who'd snuck up on them.

"Who are you?!" Gob demanded.

"My name's Dragonheart. You must be Gob, Aesop, and Monki. What exactly are the three of you doing sitting around here and drooling? You're awfully far from home." He span his axe around in his hand, running one of his fingers along its large C-shaped shimmering blade. Monki was staring at the ethereal axe with wide, fearful eyes. He began taking tiny steps to the side, getting closer and closer to hiding behind Aesop beside him. Gob was also practically shaking in his boots, trying to flash his meat knife at Jack, who frankly wasn't the least bit intimidated. Aesop was just staring at his lizard-like helm in awe.

"We just waiting for breakfast. Move along!" Gob tried to order him. His voice cracked just a little, and Jack chuckled.

"What kind of breakfast? Mind if I join you? I hope it's eggs."

"No, goat! Yummy goats are the best," Aesop said. Gob reached over and smacked him upside the head, knocking him down. Jack chuckled again. Goblins, despite being extremely pesky and annoying, were overall extremely entertaining to watch.

"A goat, huh?" Jack asked, spinning his axe again. "Where are you expecting to find a goat in this region?" All three goblins stared silently, looking like children who were about to be busted by parents. "You know, I think the only time I've ever seen goats around the Dova region is if they're pulling carts for the dwarves."

Monki was completely behind Aesop, trembling with utter fear; Aesop was sweating, and Gob was looking furious.

"Looks to me like you might be waiting to ambush one. You know I can't let you do that."

Gob jumped toward Jack with a shriek, holding up his knife. Jack kicked him out of the air and against the hut's side, knocking the wind out of him and the knife out of his hand. Aesop stared at Gob in shock, while Monki, crying and waving his arms, took off running as fast as he could.

"You're gonna need to find a different breakfast, friends," Jack declared to Gob and Aesop. Gob grabbed his knife and lunged at him again. Jack, using the handle of his axe, practically pushed him aside, sending him rolling out of control along the dirt road. While his back was turned, Aesop jumped onto Jack's back, trying hopelessly to stab him. But the legendary green armor was too strong, and Aesop's knife chipped and cracked. It couldn't even leave a hint of a scratch on Jack's armor.

Jack reached over his shoulder and took Aesop by one of his ears, tossing him onto the road beside a flustered Gob. They both stared up at him in shock.

"Lucky for you, I'm nice. I'll let you go if you promise to leave the dwarves alone. There are plenty of goats up in the Cuatour and Nowem regions. Why don't you take a trek up there instead? It's a bit far from Shangri La, but if you're _that_ hungry, it shouldn't be too much of a bother."

Aesop jumped up and took off in the same direction Monki had run earlier. Gob remained in the dirt, staring up angrily with his beady blue eyes.

"Is there a problem with that?" Jack asked, staring Gob straight in the eyes. Gob grabbed his knife and got up, staring back hatefully.

"This not over!" he shrieked, waving his knife around a few times before taking off after Aesop. Jack chuckled, watching as the two ran out of sight.

But then something else came into sight; a group of people meandering along, leading a cart being pulled by a goat. Jack's eyes immediately honed in on the distant blonde: Ridley. The group was cautiously headed toward the hut; they'd probably seen the three goblins run past, and were alerted.

Jack found himself hopelessly staring at her as she came more into sight. Finally, he realized unless he wanted to have to speak to them, he needed to leave. He forced himself to turn away, and took off running down the road back toward the Heliforde gate, hoping they hadn't seen _him_ in the distance—and knowing they probably had. He made his way back to the gate, which took a while in itself. He knew he'd have no problem at all staying out of their sight and beating them there, since they couldn't go very fast or they'd get too far from the dwarf's cart. He remembered Ganz yelling at him for getting too far _plenty _of times, and he remembered that of course, Ridley always stayed right beside it while he would try to run off.

He entered the city back through the gate; of course, the guardsman looked at him strangely. He rolled his eyes at him, wishing just _once_ he could walk through one of the four gates without its guardsman looking at him like he was some kind of alien.

_"__Chief!"_

Jack nearly jumped. Gerald was storming toward him. His angry exclamation earned them the curious attention of everyone in the area. Jack sighed and waited patiently for Gerald to reach him, ready to receive his lecture—which frankly he _shouldn't_ have to suffer through. _He_ was the chief here, not Gerald.

"Chief! You just up and left Vancoor after two days of staying holed up in your room, and the only person you told was _Daniel?!"_ he practically shouted.

"Daniel was the only one who saw me leaving. I wouldn't have told anyone," Jack replied calmly.

"Where did you go?" Gerald demanded. Jack could tell he wasn't actually angry, but more frustrated with him.

"I went out into the Dova region. Something needed taking care of. It was personal."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Some friends were in trouble, so I went and helped them. Simple as that."

"And how did you know anyone was in trouble? You've been cooped up in your room the past two whole days."

"I just knew." What a bad lie!

Gerald _knew_ it was a pathetic lie, but he seemed to get that Jack wasn't going to be explaining himself, and finally backed off, sighing. "Chief, you know you really make me worry sometimes. At least tell me why you were locked up the past two days?"

"I wasn't feeling well." Another obvious lie. Again, Gerald just seemed to accept that Jack wasn't going to explain.

"When you realize that you can confide in me, please, come find me," he said, almost sounding offended that Jack was refusing to explain. "If there's anyone in the city you can trust, it's me and Caesar. I hope that sometime soon you'll realize that."

"Believe me, Gerald. I _do_ trust the two of you more than anyone else. Just because I'm not spewing my personal problems to you doesn't mean that I don't trust you."

"I just want to help you."

"I know," Jack assured him. "Believe me, what I'm going through right now is extremely personal. Maybe I'll ask your advice on it, but it won't be today. But for now, I promise I'm fine. I won't hole up again today."

Gerald seemed satisfied enough, and offered Jack a smile.

"Don't you have a mission today?" Jack asked, smiling back.

"Yes, we're leaving at noon." He nodded to Jack, who started to pass him, headed back toward Vancoor. "Don't forget chief, there was an urgent letter for you from the castle. Thanos is holding it."

Jack waved back at Gerald, and made his way through the White Town back into Yellow Town. He passed his old house under the bridge on his way back. He went by the staircase to Vancoor's back door, not feeling like using it. Instead, he walked along the road around the building to its front door. He opened it and strolled inside; for some reason, he found solace in the guild members who were in the lobby like usual. The normality of it somehow managed to make him feel better.

As soon as he was inside, Thanos waved him over. "Hey, Chief! Urgent letter for you from the castle. It was delivered real early this morning." Jack walked over and took the letter that Thanos was waving around. "I'm not sure who it was from. It was delivered by one of them heavy guardsmen in the big bucket helmets…I will never not laugh at those guys."

Jack opened the sealed envelope and pulled out the pristine white parchment inside. He unfolded it and looked at it; it was written in _perfect_ script, and had the seal of the Chamberlain at the bottom. Jack immediately felt a dread overwhelm him. Surely enough, he glanced down to see that the letter was signed Jasne Colton, Lord Chamberlain of Radiata.

He took a moment to prepare himself for whatever ridiculous request was written, before sighing and beginning to read the letter.

It read,

_"__Dearest Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor,_

_I would like to invite you to my private chambers within the castle. There is something I wish to discuss with you which I did not find entirely appropriate to express in a request for the guild itself. It is rather private, that I feel I should personally discuss with you as the guild's leader. I understand, of course, that you are a busy man, so I will understand if you cannot visit the castle as soon as you receive this, but if you could please visit within the day, I would greatly appreciate it. It is a matter of utmost urgency which I wish to discuss; a request of sorts, for which I am prepare to reward you and your guild handsomely. Thank you very much in advance for your time. I will be expecting you. Present this letter to the guards for passage into and through the castle to my chambers._

_Sincerely, Jasne Colton, Lord Chamberlain of Radiata._

Jack stood there for a moment, feeling noticeably gloomy. Thanos immediately picked up on Jack's mood, and stared curiously. "Chief? Something wrong?"

"I've been summoned to meet with the Lord Chamberlain. I'm not sure something worse could happen," he replied. "I really, really hate him."

"You hate the Chamberlain? Why? Something bad happen between the two of you in the past?" Thanos asked.

"I find him to be a rather disgusting person," Jack spat. Thanos stared in surprise at Jack's hateful comment. Jack crumpled up the envelope and practically threw it onto Thanos' desk. He turned to leave when Thanos called after him.

"Here, Chief…some requests from Lord Larks for you to look over, as usual," he said, handing another three sealed envelopes to Jack. He snatched them and made his way to the staircase, going all the way up and into his room. He threw all of the letters onto his desk and yanked his helm off, running his hands through his hair. He sat in his chair and stared at the pile of official papers on his desk. Three requests from the knights, and Jasne's personal request. He was perfectly fine with receiving letters from Larks as it meant business and work for his guild, but was nearly ready to light Jasne's letter on fire.

Trying to avoid Jasne's letter, he reached for the first letter from Larks, tearing it open. He quickly read it. It was a request for aid from the guild on a Rank A mission alongside the Noire Mouton knight brigade. Basically, the knights were looking for aid in handling a rather rowdy blood orc that was rampaging around the Ocho region, having wandered too far from their home in Borgandiazo. Jack nearly vomited—Noire Mouton was _Cross'_ brigade. Jack absolutely hated Jasne, but there was no one in the entire world he hated more than Sir Cross Ward of the Noire Mouton brigade. Request: denied.

The next request was much lower…Rank C. A request for aid from the guild in eradicating some beasts in the Tria region. No problem. Request: accepted.

The third request was asking for an escort alongside a solo knight, who would be transporting royal goods across the city. A low Rank D. Jack wasn't entirely sure why Larks would be requesting the guild's aid for some random solo knight in transporting some goods. He figured it was because the castle wouldn't want too much attention to be drawn to the knight, and so didn't want to send a whole brigade, preferring to request a Vancoor squad instead. Jack sighed, unable to come up with any reason to deny it. Request: accepted.

He pulled out some blank parchment and began to write the replies to Lark's requests, thinking out the fees he'd ask for and trying to be reasonable. Sorry to inform you, Lord Larks, that I will not be allowing a squad to travel to the Septem region to aid in the orc problem. Yadda yadda. I'm more than happy to provide aid for your mission in Tria, I'd like to ask so much in fees, yadda yadda. Yes, Lord Larks, Vancoor would be willing to provide a squad to serve as an escort for your cargo, and I'd like to ask blah in fees.

If there was one thing he hated about being Vancoor Chief, it was the paperwork that came with it. He originally believed Thanos handled everything, being the ever-bored receptionist. But no; way more paperwork made its way up to Jack than he ever anticipated.

Once all the replies were all drawn up and signed, he folded them up and sealed them into envelopes. He figured since he was headed up to his dreadful meeting with Jasne—who was in the room beside Larks'—he'd drop them off personally, since he was going to be passing by regardless.

He stood from his desk, all four letters in hand, and left his room. He went down to the lobby, casting a look up at the clock as he passed; it was ten minutes to nine. He went to Thanos' desk, where Thanos' was already beginning to look so bored, he might fall asleep. He shot up straight as soon as Jack was in his sights.

"I'm heading to the castle to answer the Chamberlain's summons. I'll take the replies for the Knights personally, since I'm passing Lord Larks' room anyway," he said to Thanos, who nodded. "If anything comes up, Gerald should still be around. I don't know how long I'll be at the castle, though. If I'm still gone when Gerald leaves, Caesar is in charge. You know how it goes."

"Yes, Chief."

"I'll be back in a while." He gave another nod to Thanos before turning to head for the door. Conrad was just walking in, and smiled at him. Jack gave a glance to the table, where Carlos and Gene were sitting and chatting. They didn't notice him. He left the building, turning left and headed up the road straight toward the castle. He listened to the birds as they chirped their morning songs, perched on top of the Yellow Town's houses and shops. About halfway up the street to the castle, he passed Jasmine, who smiled brightly at him as usual. Jarvis was a bit farther up the hill, thankfully sober.

"Good morning, Chief! Good to see you up and about again. Daniel's been worried about you," Jarvis said as he walked up to Jack. "Were you feelin' sick?"

"Yes, I just wasn't feeling well. I'm better now," Jack assured him. Jarvis gave him a hearty nod. "I've been summoned to the castle, so I have to go. Nice speaking with you."

"You, too. See you later," Jarvis replied, going past Jack down the hill toward Vancoor. Jack continued up the hill to the castle, finally arriving at its gate. As he walked up to the heavy guardsman on the right, he readied Jasne's letter.

"Good morning, sir," the guard greeted. "How can we be of service to you today?"

Jack held out Jasne's letter. "I've been summoned by the Lord Chamberlain to meet with him today." The guard took the letter, unfolding it and reading it over to inspect it. He looked at the seal, before folding the letter back up and returning it to Jack.

"All's in order, sir! Please go on in. The Lord Chamberlain's private chambers are on the fourth floor."

"Thank you," Jack replied, headed through the massive front gate of the castle. A little more than halfway toward the door, Jack saw Godwin, practicing his moves against the air. Why he always practiced inside the gate, Jack was never sure. He said hello to the tiny old man as he passed, who offered him a gummy smile in return.

In a daze, Jack entered the first floor hall of the castle and turned left, beginning to make his way around the perimeter of the castle to the staircases. He didn't pay much attention to anything in particular as he passed. Every single knight he passed seemed to have something to whisper about. To avoid getting angry at them, Jack forced himself to ignore them all as best he could. He knew that of the entire city, the castle was the one place where the rumors about him were the most colorful and numerous.

He finally reached the hallway with the red carpet, and made his way to the staircase where he slowly ascended all the way up to the fourth floor. Every footstep he took was heavier than the last as he neared the top; he honestly was dreading whatever Jasne wanted to talk about. He hated the man, and didn't want anything to do with him. He finally reached the fourth floor, in all of its regal elegance. The doors were decorated, the walls and floor were decorated—the fourth and fifth floor were really the fanciest places in all of the world that Jack had seen. It was so regal and beautiful; Jack remembered going there for the first time in his human life with Ganz and Ridley. He remembered being utterly amazed by it, having never been in a place quite like it. He headed to the right door, leading to the hall. He walked along the perimeter, again in a daze.

He looked up when he heard someone in the hall. He froze.

He'd made a mistake!

Ganz, Ridley, and Clive were standing in the hallway, talking amongst each other. Jack had completely forgotten than nine o'clock was when the brigade was back from their mission and reporting to Larks. They must have just finished as Jack arrived; they would be saying farewell to Clive.

They all looked at him, and again Ridley was locked into a hard-gazed stare, looking right at Jack. Jack avoided looking at her with all his being, but walked toward them. He needed to get into Larks' room, or at least past them to get to Jasne's room, which was through the doorway.

Ganz saw Jack and his face lit up. "Hello, Chief Dragonheart! What brings you to the castle today?"

Jack nearly choked on his words in the presence of Ridley, but managed to force out his reply. "I've been summoned by the Lord Chamberlain. Also, I'm delivering replies to Lord Larks." He held up the handful of letters for them to see.

"Summoned by my father?" Ridley asked. Her voice sent a shiver down Jack's spine. Oh, how he so badly wanted to rush over and embrace her. He longed to be with her. It was such a powerful urge, Jack's legs twitched, and his heart was pounding. Thank God his helm concealed the upper half of his face. "Why would my father summon you?"

"You tell me," Jack replied with a fading voice. He needed to get away.

But Ganz saw an opportunity and pounced on it. "I've been wanting to tell you, sir, that I idolize you and your legendary skills…I'd very much like to fight beside you one day!" His eyes were sparkling.

Ridley sighed. "Please, captain…you sound like a child."

But Ganz brushed her off. "Really, sir, your skills are absolutely renowned in the castle. I'm sure _all_ of the knights would very much love to see you in action. But I especially have always been quite a fan of yours!"

"Yes, thank you," Jack urged, hoping to shut Ganz up. "I'm sure we'll fight beside each other someday. But please, I must speak with Lord Larks."

"Oh! Of course, of course," Ganz said, waddling aside to make way for Jack to reach the door. Jack walked toward it, staring at Ridley. He finally tore his gaze away, knocking on the door. He heard a reply from within, inviting him to enter. He went to open the door went suddenly, Ridley beside him reached out and touched his armor. Even though it wasn't direct contact, Jack saw her hand make contact and his whole body shuddered. He thought his heart might explode, and he felt his eyes sting with tears in the moment he refused to allow himself to embrace her. Jack practically jumped away from her, but Ridley seemed undisturbed.

"I've heard a lot about your armor," she said matter-of-factly. "It looks amazing, but it feels flimsy. It's so thin. It seems less practical and more for show. Like ceremonial armor."

_There_ was the snappy, unimpressed Ridley Jack fell in love with.

"I'd like to see you try and scratch it," Jack replied. Ridley smirked at him.

Her smirk was all he could handle. He yanked the door open and quickly went inside, leaving the brigade—and a flustered Ridley—behind. He pulled the door closed behind him, and stood before Larks, who was seated comfortably at his desk.

"Ah! Hello, Chief Dragonheart. I was wondering why you were taking so long to enter after knocking. I assume the knights were distracting you. I'm well aware that many of them believe you to be part dragon." He laughed, and stood from his chair to go and meet Jack. He reached out to shake his hand, and Jack took it. "I'm surprised to see you here in person! It's been years since I met you last. What brings you here to meet me personally?"

"I was summoned by the Lord Chamberlain. I figured I'd drop off my replies to your requests personally, since I was passing by either way."

The happy look on Larks' face was replaced by a confused one. "Summoned by Lord Jasne? What for?"

"I don't know."

Larks stood for a moment, perplexed, before turning and returning to his desk. Jack went to stand on the opposite side. Larks sat down, and took the letters from Jack's extended hand. "Mind if I read them now?" He began to open them. He read over the first one, and smiled. Jack had placed the two accepted requests on top. He read the second one and was still smiling. But once he reached the third request, his smile faded a little.

"Ah. You've denied the request about the orcs," he said. Jack just nodded in silence. "May I ask why? I was really hoping to receive aid from you on this mission, above the others."

"I'm sorry, Lord Larks, but I can't accept. My best squads already have several missions of their own, which conflict with your request. I can't send a less-experienced squad on such a mission. I will never send men on a mission without complete confidence in their skills and ability to complete it. I have no squads of adequate skill available for a mission regarding orcs. Especially blood orcs."

Larks offered him a small smile, placing the letters on his desk. Jack was relieved that Larks didn't seem upset, and that he showed no signs of pestering him further. "I understand, sir. Of course. I feel the same about my knight brigades. I would never send a new brigade to fight blood orcs. I respect your feelings. And I admire your concern for your men."

Jack nodded to him, thankful that he wasn't going to try and pressure him. He'd always liked Larks.

"It may not be my place to ask, but…have you ever considered joining the royal knights?"

Jack was taken aback by his question.

"We could absolutely use a man of your skill. A man like you could ascend the ranks very quickly."

Jack took a moment to gather his thoughts, shaken by his request. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm quite happy where I am. I love Vancoor. I've never considered leaving to join the knights."

"I see. Well, I would just like you to know that this is a place where you will always be welcome, should you ever consider it. We'd accept a man like you into our ranks immediately. You wouldn't even need to attend a selection trial."

"Thank you again, but I'm happy with Vancoor."

Larks just smiled again and nodded. He stood from his chair. "Thank you very much for taking some time to stop by and meet with me personally. It's been an honor to speak with such a unique man. I hear so much about you. I wish you the best of luck with Lord Jasne and whatever crazy request he's thought up for you."

Jack smiled, nearly chuckling.

"I know I should not pay mind to any rumors I hear, but there _is_ one that I've always wondered about. I've heard you have been at the head of your guild for as long as anyone can remember. There has been much speculation about your age among my knights. If I may ask…exactly how old _are_ you?"

Jack laughed at him. Of course he couldn't honestly tell him. Even if he wanted to, he was sure Larks would never believe him. He was several centuries old. "Lord Larks, if I told you how old I was, that'd take the fun out of guessing."

Larks was taken aback for a moment, before chuckling at him. "Yes, that's true. Forgive me, sir. It was a bit rude of me to ask. I hope you'll forgive me."

"It's fine. It's far from the worst I've been asked." He turned and made his way to the door. "It's been nice speaking to you, Lord Larks."

"Yes! Please, do come by more often. It is wonderful to handle requests in person! You are the only chief who I never speak with personally."

"I'll try," Jack assured him, not entirely sure if he'd ever make his way to the castle to personally deliver replies again. That's what Thanos was for. He went to leave, but then hesitated. "Lord Larks?" He turned back around. "If I may ask a question of you…"

"Anything."

"Is there… Is there a man anywhere in the castle by the name of Lucian Hewitt?"

Larks seemed surprised by his question. "Yes, Lord Lucian is an advisor to Lord Jasne. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I used to know him a long time ago. I heard he was in the castle, but was never sure."

"Oh. If you'd like, I can arrange for the two of you to meet."

"No, thank you. That won't be necessary. Have a nice day, Lord Larks." Jack gave a nod to Larks before opening the door and leaving his room. He glanced around the hall, thankful that Ganz, Ridley, and Clive had gone. He'd been praying they weren't hanging around, hoping to talk to him more. With a sigh, he worked himself up and then started down the hall to the next door. He knocked on it, and after a moment of silence, a sharp, annoyed voice called out, "Who is it?!"

"Chief Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor," he called back, already fed up with him.

"Oh! Do come in," the voice called back with a kinder, almost eager voice. Jack took another moment to prepare himself before pulling the door open and going inside. Surely enough, Jasne was standing by the door, looking excited that Jack was there. He almost seemed joyful. "Hello, Chief Dragonheart! It's _wonderful_ to finally meet you!" He reached out and grabbed Jack's hand, eagerly shaking it. Jack pulled his hand away almost forcefully. Please, no touching.

"May I ask why you've summoned me here?" Jack asked, hoping to get straight to the point. He didn't want to be there very long.

Jasne chuckled. "Ready to get going, I see. Please, won't you have a seat?" He went over and pulled a seat out for Jack, and then hurried over to the other side of the table to sit across from him. Jack hesitated, but then went and sat in the chair Jasne had pulled out. He sat stiffly, his back straight and away from the chair's back. Jasne, however, was sitting comfortably, leaning back in his chair and smiling at Jack. Jack was almost uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I have a request for you," Jasne finally said. "A personal request. It's for you, but any member of your guild can take it."

"What is it?"

"Before I ask, I'd like to stress the fact that it is personal, and I'd prefer if it was kept secret. If you choose to give it to another guildsman, please ask that they, too, keep it private."

Jack was dreading it more and more with every word that left the fat man's mouth.

"I currently have a knight undertaking this request. But I'd like to have the very best, and there is no better man in the kingdom than you. I dare even say your skills could surpass that of General Dynas…if the rumors of your skills are true."

"What is the request?" Jack asked, hoping to speed the conversation along.

"My daughter, Ridley Silverlake, was recently knighted, and is a trainee under the command of Ganz Rothschild in the Rose Cochon brigade," Jasne explained. Jack tried very hard not to sigh. He already knew all of this. "My daughter is _very_ precious to me. I would just die if anything bad were to happen to her. I have one of my favorite knights, Lady Natalie Nanette, shadowing her. She is the captain of the elite brigade, the Violet Chevre. Maybe you've heard of her?"

"Yes, I know of her."

"I am so worried about my darling Ridley out on her own. I rather think Ganz is nothing but a buffoon. I don't trust him with my daughter. That's why I've asked Lady Natalie to follow them, and protect her if need be. But I want the very best protection for my daughter. That's why I've asked you here today."

Jack sat there, staring through his helm in silence at the fat Chamberlain. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'd like to personally request your services. I want you to secretly protect my daughter until I can be sure she is safe. You, or someone whose skills you trust."

"Lord Chamberlain, I"—

"I am prepared to reward you and your guild handsomely. There will be a personal reward for you or one of your men, and a separate reward for your guild. I don't think this is an offer you can refuse." Jasne was clearly very confident in his request.

But Jack couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry, Lord Jasne," he began. Immediately, Jasne's face darkened. "I'm sure Lady Natalie will suffice for this job. I don't see why you feel it requires myself or one of my men."

"Sir, I want the very _best_ for my darling Ridley. Lady Natalie is very capable, but what if an orc attacks my baby? I doubt Natalie can handle an orc. I have no doubt that you can handle them. That is why I want you for this job. If the rumors about you are true, then I have no doubt that you can deal with _anything_ that dares to attack my daughter."

It was true; Jack was the one person in the world that could protect Ridley in the truest sense. He would defend her from all of Borgandiazo's orcs if he had to.

"So, that is why I am asking you to undertake this job."

Jack took another few moments of silence. "I'm sorry, Lord Jasne. I can't accept."

Jasne visibly went cold.

"I don't see why this kind of job requires my services. My men have other requests to fill, other missions to do. I'm busy, myself. No one in my guild has time to follow your daughter around like a stalker, waiting for some orc to attack her."

Jasne was staring to look angry.

"I'm very sorry, my Lord."

"Wait!" Jasne said. His anger was gone, and now looked to be replaced with desperation. "I promise, I will pay you and your guild with more money than you will _ever_ receive from a mission. This is a very easy mission that pays amazingly well…_how_ can you deny me?"

"If your daughter was knighted, then I'm sure she is more than capable of handling herself. And she is among other knights, who I'm sure are capable of the same. I feel that what you're asking me to do is just a waste of time. I certainly don't have time to follow your daughter around. And no man in my guild has time to, either. Unless you wouldn't mind a new recruit doing it."

"No!" Jasne exclaimed. "I want someone of excellent skill to assure my daughter's safety!"

Jack stood. "I'm afraid you'll have to continue relying on Lady Natalie for that, Lord Jasne. I'm sure your daughter is fine."

Jasne stuttered for a moment, but Jack wasn't going to stick around and listen to him to try and argue with him. He gave a little bow and went straight for the door, having no intention of staying any longer.

"Please, think it over! Take a night or two!" Jasne called after Jack, who reached for the door. "Please, think about it."

"Sure, I'll think about it all you want. I still won't accept." Jack opened the door and left the room, closing the door behind him before Jasne could follow him. He let out a deep breath, adjusting his helm to try and ease his discomfort.

Suddenly, there was a voice. "I don't what he wanted, but whatever it was, I'm sorry you had to deal with it."

Jack nearly jumped. It was Ridley, leaning against the wall a few paces down the hall. It only added to his uneasiness. His head became hot, and again he felt his heart take off. The urge to just take her into his arms and forget everything that had happened returned.

"What _did_ he want with someone like you?"

"You'll have to ask him," Jack replied, just wanting to get away before he either broke down, or flat out died from his heart not working right.

"It couldn't have been good. You seem upset."

Understatement!

"Please, excuse me. I have to return to Vancoor," Jack said, trying to walk away.

"What did you say your name was again? I doubt it's really Dragonheart. I heard you say it when we first met, but I could barely hear, and don't remember it."

Jack froze for a moment. He _had_ said his name aloud, but he hadn't been sure if it was audible. Clearly it was. "My name is Jack."

"Well, Jack, it's nice to finally be properly introduced." She reached out to shake his hand. He stared at it for a moment, but didn't take her hand. Instead, he offered her a very light, half-hearted bow, and then hurriedly went past her toward the door, refusing to look back. He heard her throw some snappy remark his way—typical Ridley—but he didn't catch it, and didn't bother to stop and ask her to repeat herself. It couldn't have been polite.

As he rushed through the castle, trying very hard not to run and not to look at all strange, he thought about nothing but Ridley as usual. Part of him made him wish he _had_ accepted Jasne's request to protect her in secret. There was _nothing_ he wanted more in the world than to protect her. He knew a lot of bad things would soon happen to her, if history repeated itself exactly. He wanted to protect her from all of it. He was going to try his best either way. Why not be paid for it?

But he couldn't bring himself to accept something like that. His love for Ridley didn't need compensation. He loved her, and he would always do his best to protect her.

But he still couldn't be near her. Every time she was close, he was nearly pushed over the edge. It was an unbearable feeling. He loved her so much, it literally hurt to be near her and not be able to have her.

But he decided—_long_ ago—that he was going to do anything and everything in his power to protect her. Even if it meant giving up his leadership of Vancoor to be near her at all times. Accepting the request from Jasne certainly would have given him an excuse, but the thought of being paid by Jasne to protect her disgusted him.

He hoped he could get over his inability to remain calm near Ridley. Because he wanted to be near her.

And soon, he decided he _would_ be.


	4. The Legendary Avcoor

Jack sighed when there was a soft knock at the door. He was hunched over his desk, reading over reports and several personal requests that'd been sent in. He'd gotten a request from Ursula to fight her newest golem—which Jack hated. He'd _loved_ it as a 16 year old human, newly made sergeant by Chief Elwen. But as Chief Dragonheart, it was mostly a bother. Her golems were always so weak, and Jack was about ready to pass the request off to someone else, like Elwen had to him in the last life.

The knock was soft and quick, so it couldn't have been Gerald—which meant it probably wasn't important.

"Come in," he called, practically tossing a paper to the side and watching it flutter to the floor.

The door creaked open. A tiny face framed with pink hair poked in, smiling brightly. It was Alicia, his youngest sergeant. When she seemed to hesitate, he beckoned her in. She silently stepped in, closing the door behind her.

"What is it?" Jack asked. She smiled at him.

"I've been trying to speak to you for six days!" she said. Jack stared at her for a moment. He did remember Daniel mentioning that Alicia was looking for him on the day of the trainee selection trials. Something about a person wanting to meet him. "You were holed up, and since you've come out, you've been busy left and right! I haven't been able to catch you."

"Sorry about that," Jack said, trying to gently toss another paper to the side but accidentally throwing it too hard. It fluttered to the floor. Alicia watched it fall, and Jack stared at it on the floor. Oops.

"Well, anyway," she chuckled. "What I've been wanting to tell you is that a close friend of mine wants to meet you. She has something she'd like to ask of you."

"She can't come up here with you? It'd save us both a lot of trouble." Jack tried not to sound annoyed. He wasn't all for running around in town seeking random people out. "Or, they could put in a request for me. I'm sure I'd see it eventually." He gestured toward the pile of requests filed specially for him.

"No, she can't come to Vancoor. That's why she sent me to talk to you in her place. And she didn't want to file a request because she was worried you would take too long to see it, or not see it at all. And I think maybe she was right." She laughed and looked at the papers on the floor.

"Well, who is it? What do they want?"

"I can't say! And I'm not entirely sure what they want," she replied. Jack sighed at her.

"Sounds a bit suspicious, Alicia."

"I promise, it's not."

"I've been ambushed plenty in my lifetime by unnamed people asking me to meet them for undisclosed requests."

Alicia was looking a little disheartened. "Chief, she's a very good friend of mine. She won't tell me what she wants from you, but I promise it's nothing bad. Can't you take _my_ word for it? She's been waiting a long time to see you. I'd hate to have to go back to her with bad news."

"You can't even give me her name?"

Alicia was looking more disheartened by the minute. "Chief. I'll go with you to meet her."

Jack leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes for a moment, to think. Who could possibly be looking to meet him? He knew everyone in Radiata, but he didn't know who would be friends with Alicia and looking to meet him—especially not if Alicia couldn't say the person's name.

"At least tell me where I'd need to go to meet this person?"

"She wants to meet you in the Path of the Spider. That's where she's been living."

Jack shivered. "I'll think about it."

Alicia's face brightened. "Thanks, Chief! I'll let her know that you're thinking about it. I'm sure she'll be happy."

Jack nodded to her. With a huge smile on her face, Alicia turned and left the room, leaving him to dwell over all of his annoying papers in solitude. He looked up at the ceiling and stared at it, trying harder to think of who could be asking to see him that would send Alicia in their place. He supposed history wasn't repeating itself _exactly_, because the only person who _should_ have been living in the sewers was Tony. But now there was a random woman living down there? Jack couldn't fathom a woman living down there. Big hairy disgusting Tony, sure. But a woman? Maybe he'd thrown off the repeating cycle more than he originally thought.

He looked back down at the requests. They were almost all duel requests. A lot of them were unnamed, with no meeting times and asking for him to be alone. He knew better than to fall for those. He reached for the first one he saw and tore it up, tossing the pieces of paper onto the floor. Then he stared down at them and realized…he was going to have to pick them up.

He was bored, and so picked up Ursula's request for him to duel her golem. It was put in that morning, and getting to about the time she'd be expecting him. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Jack decided he'd go to meet her. Why not? Glancing over the rest of the papers, he saw one was Gerald's report on his mission from three days before. Jack choked at the fact it'd taken him three days to see the report. He read it over quickly; blah, it was successful, no problems or injuries, blah. He grabbed the next paper, which was another phony duel request. He tossed it on the floor, and then picked up Ursula's request. Folding it up and wedging it beneath one of his armor plates for safe keeping, he stood from his chair and left the room.

Headed down to the lobby, he glanced over at Thanos, who was shuffling through papers of his own. He heard him coming and looked up at him.

"Headed out, chief?" he asked. Jack nodded.

"Another request from Ursula to duel one of her golems," Jack confirmed. "I shouldn't be long."

Thanos nodded, waving him off as he stared for the door. He left Vancoor and turned right to head toward the bridge. Ursula would be waiting as usual at the Echidna gate in Blue Town. Blue Town was one of Jack's favorite places in Radiata City, but it wasn't really a short walk. He went along the road, passing people and nodding to some—while completely ignoring others. He went into White Town, where he went down the single road, before turning onto the Path of Insanity and Fanaticism. He wound his way through Blue Town, past Vareth until he finally arrived at the Echidna gate. Surely enough, he saw Ursula waiting on the bridge. She saw him approaching and waved excitedly at him.

"Hi, chief!" she exclaimed. "Thanks for coming today!"

"I hope this golem is better than the other 98," Jack said.

"Oh, it will be! I'm sure of it!" she exclaimed. "Wanna go right now? Why waste time?"

"Sure, bring her out," Jack agreed, turning toward the bridge wall where he knew that Melissa the golem would drop. Within moments, the massive, grotesque golem dropped from above, staring at Jack with its nonexistent eyes menacingly.

"Don't hold back, chief!" Ursula said. "Melissa, attack!"

Jack held up his Ancient Axe, not even feeling a pinch of intimidation as the golem stepped over the bridge's side to meet him in battle. The golems she made couldn't beat him as an inexperienced 16 year old human using the Brionac spear and wearing the Wind Garb in the last life—there was _definitely_ no way they could defeat him now, in the Valiant Mail with the Ancient Axe. He was hundreds of years old, extremely experienced, _and_ infused with the power of the gold dragon Quasar.

He almost felt bored when Melissa stepped toward him.

He raised his axe and sliced at Melissa's legs with a low strike. Melissa toppled to the ground with a huge crash. While she was down, Jack attacked with a skull bash, aiming right for her head. With barely any effort, Melissa's head cracked open. Her body froze, and her head began to bellow smoke. Ursula rushed over.

"Dammit!" she cried. "I knew I should have added the bomb feature!"

Jack planted his axe's handle into the stone ground of the bridge, resting his arm on the inside of its C shape.

"Don't worry, chief, these are minimal damages! I'll have her fixed in maybe a week or two, and you can fight her again! I'll add the features I scrapped! She'll be better."

"I hope so," he said, putting his axe away.

"I wonder what kind of armor I could put on her that could withstand that axe of yours. Can you give me some tips?" Ursula said, turning and looking at him longingly. Jack thought on it; he was several hundred years old and had never come across any kind of armor that could resist the Ancient Axe. It was a legendary axe designed to kill dragons. He'd since learned it could kill beings much greater than that.

"Sorry, Ursula, I don't know if there's anything that strong," Jack replied honestly. "I've had this axe a long time, and I've never found anything my axe couldn't destroy. You'll have to keep trying."

Ursula sighed, visibly disheartened. "At this rate, I'll never beat you. I've gone through nearly 100 golems and none of them could defeat you, or even scratch your armor. And none of them lasted for more than a minute."

Feeling bad for her, Jack started thinking. "Maybe I could send someone else in my guild to fight your next one," he suggested. "You should start smaller. I'll pick someone less experienced, with regular armor and weaponry. You can work your way up to fighting me again. I'd rather your golems fight my lower-ranked warriors. I kind of feel bad always destroying them so quickly."

"Starting lower and working up would make sense." She still looked down.

"I'll send someone who I think is a better match for your golem next time. Let me know when you've got her fixed up. You can submit the request to me as usual. I'll pick someone new."

She looked up at him and offered him a sad smile. "Thanks, chief."

"I can talk to Ray about it, also. Weren't you negotiating to receive more funding based on your battles with me?"

Ursula's face lit up. "Really? Yeah, I was going to get more funding from Vareth if my golems could beat you."

"Well, I'll drop by the president's office and talk to him about it."

"Thank you, chief!" she cried. "I'll fix Melissa right up and show you that I _can_ make a worthwhile golem!"

"Well I hope so. Good luck fixing her up." Jack turned and went to head back into town. Instead of turning down Insanity and Fanaticism, he kept going straight toward the front of Vareth. He figured he had nothing else to do, so might as well stop by Vareth and talk to them about Ursula's funding. He opened the front door of the institute and stepped inside. Roche glanced up from the front desk, expecting to see some young student—and looking visibly shocked to see Jack instead. She stared at him with her big swirly glasses as he walked up to the desk.

"Is the president available right now? I'd like to speak with him about something."

She was dazed by him, and seemed briefly unable to answer. She was staring at his armor in utter awe, looking amazed and extremely impressed by it. She seemed overall flustered that he was there.

"Hello?" Jack asked, trying to bring her back to reality. She jumped a bit, shaking her head.

"Y-yes, hello!" she said, adjusting her glasses.

"Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry? What was your question?"

"Is the president available right now?" Jack asked again.

"The who? Oh! President Ross! Uh, uh…" She fumbled around for a few moments. "Y-yes! I think he's free at the moment! You can go ahead and head right on up, if you like! I'll let him know you're on your way. You can get up through either the Star or Moon Tower! The doors are in the cafeteria, through the door on the right over there to the left! Uh, I mean, the door on the right over there, on the left side of the"—

"Yes, thank you, I know what you mean," Jack interrupted before Roche could go off on a long spurt of confused rambling. She smiled and giggled nervously at him as he turned to the side and went toward the cafeteria door. It shot open with a hiss of air as he neared; inside the cafeteria, he went to the nearest door into the Moon Tower. Stepping through the next door, he rode the escalator slowly up to the president's office.

At the top of the stairs, the owl Ray C. Ross was perched on the chair behind his desk. Upon seeing Jack, he hooted and flapped his wings before finally settling down.

"Hell-o-o!" he hooted.

"Hello," Jack greeted back.

"Chief Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor! It's been a while since we've seen one another! I'm rather surprised to see you here, and in person! What brings you here today?"

"I just dueled Ursula's newest golem," Jack said. The owl nodded.

"Defeated again, was she?" He shook his head, ruffling his feathers. "Her golems are far from impressive."

"Well, that's why I'm here," he quickly said. "She was going to get more funding if her golem could defeat me, wasn't she? I'd like to negotiate that."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, I'm hardly a match for her golems. I don't think it's fair to have the bar raised so high. It's impossible. Why do you have such a hard goal set for her?"

"It was her idea," he hooted.

"Well, I was talking to her. Rather than duel her golems personally, I'm going to send other warriors from my guild from now on, who are less experienced and more appropriately equipped to duel them. I'm too tough an opponent. So, I'd like to know if I could talk you into a new deal about her funding."

"And what's that? That we provide funding if she defeats your weaker warriors?"

"Yes. I'm far too strong for her golems. The goals she's striving for should be more realistic. Will you still give her funding if she can defeat someone else? She can work her way up to fighting me again after she's had more time to work on Melissa."

Ray took a moment to fluff his feathers, thinking about it. "Well, that's certainly a more reasonable goal. But understand…she was looking to get a _massive_ raise in funding by defeating you. I offered a huge sum of dagols, because it was reasonable for the goal she set. If I agree to award her funding for defeating weaker opponents, then the funding will be less than originally promised."

"I'm sure there won't be a problem with that."

"Well then absolutely, I can accept your terms! I'm glad you've come to negotiate it, also. It's very considerate of you. I'll ask for her to visit sometime so we can discuss the new deal. I'm sure she'll appreciate it immensely."

"Thank you for hearing me out."

"Of course! Anything for the legendary Dragonheart."

Jack smiled. "I'll be leaving, then. Have a nice day, president."

"You too, chief."

Jack turned and stepped onto the escalator to ride it back down into the Moon Tower. Once he reached the bottom, he went into the cafeteria, and out into the lobby of the institute. Of course, Roche was still at her desk, and looked at him again with a stricken look in her eyes. Jack nodded to her and went straight for the door. He heard her let out a long sigh, and quickened his pace. He opened and door and left the building, stepping out into Blue Town and taking a deep breath. What a creepy girl.

He began to make his way through town back toward the Yellow Town. He cast a glance toward the Echidna gate, where Ursula was kneeling beside the fallen, still-smoking Melissa, working diligently on her broken head. Jack turned onto Insanity and Fanaticism, walking in a daze. He wondered if Elwen in the previous life thought that Ursula's golems were a waste of time and annoying to fight. Maybe that's why she sent Jack in her stead for the 100th golem. But he didn't recall Elwen negotiating with Vareth on Ursula's behalf—he remembered Ursula sadly mumbling about how she wouldn't be getting her promised funding, because she 'lost to someone weaker than the chief.'

He realized that even though he was distant from everyone and very bored by a lot of things, he was still a very different person from Elwen. More considerate at some times, and colder at others.

He _still_ wondered where Elwen was in this new cycle. She wouldn't have ceased to exist; he couldn't stress to himself enough that he hadn't taken her spot in life, he'd only taken her job. Every once in a while he'd become paranoid that she was dead because he'd taken her place as Chief…but that didn't make any sense. He tried to think of where Elwen could possibly be in the new life, trying to recall her schedule from the previous cycle. He remembered most of the day, she would be underground in the sewers—

_Jack gasped for air and nearly tripped._

He took off running through the White Town, headed right for Yellow Town. He ran down the Path of Swords and Wisdom, over the bridge, and to the staircase leading to Vancoor's back door. He bounded up the steps two at a time, bursting through the door into the 2nd floor hallway. He went to the second door into the Triton Squad Locker Room, where Alicia was admiring the flowers Dennis had collected for her.

"Alicia?" he asked. She jumped when he burst into the room.

"Hi, Chief. What's wrong?"

He took a few seconds to try and regain his composure. "Alicia. This person who wants to meet me. Is her name Elwen?"

Alicia's eyes widened, and she just stared at Jack for a few long moments. "Um…yes, it is. But how do you know that? How did you find out?"

He took a deep breath, a bit winded from running through the White and Yellow Towns. "You can tell her I'll meet her."

Alicia's face lit up like it did that morning. "Really? She'll be so excited!"

"I'll meet her tomorrow," he said. "Let her know tonight. I'll go down there with you tomorrow in the morning. Will that be all right?"

"Yes! Thank you, Chief!"

Jack nodded to her and left the locker room, closing the door behind him. He took another deep breath, and went for the stairs. Going down to the lobby, he walked over to Thanos, who gave him a half-smile.

"Welcome back, Chief! How was the duel with the Vareth golem?"

"Stupidly easy, as usual," Jack replied, pulling out the folded up written request from underneath his armor plate. "I'll be picking people to send in my place from now on as solo missions. Anyone who I give the mission to will get the pay instead of me. Speaking of which, split the pay between the Hecton and Septimo squads. They can stock up on items or buy some books or something."

"You sure you want to give any to the Hecton Squad?" Thanos cleared his throat.

Jack chuckled. "Make sure you give the money to Daniel, not Jarvis. I don't want him using the money for his bar tab again. This is squad money, not personal money."

"Sure thing, boss," Thanos said. Jack nodded to him and handed him the written request to file away. "Also, this was just delivered from the castle. It looks like another request from the knights." He handed Jack a sealed envelope which was undoubtedly one of Larks' requests. He went back toward the stairs, and made his way all the way up to the Chief's room. Before sitting down at his desk, he took a moment to kneel down and pick up all of the papers he'd tossed away that morning. He crumpled them all up and tossed them into the nearby trashcan. Then finally he sat at the desk, taking a deep breath.

To take his mind off of Elwen, he reached for the new letter from Larks, carefully unsealing it and pulling out the letter. It was a request for aid in another Rank D escort mission. He wrote out his reply on blank parchment, signed it, and then sealed it. He'd give this new mission to the Hecton Squad; surely this was something they could handle without a problem. It'd been a while since he'd given them a squad mission. Surely Jarvis' bar tab was starting to get high again, and Jack doubted he was taking worthwhile solo missions from Thanos. He'd give his written reply to Thanos next time he went downstairs. Thanos would mail it in for him.

Now without anything to distract himself, he sat back in his chair and thought about Elwen. So, she was living in the Path of the Spider in this life. He remembered vaguely that there was a room down there she frequented in the last life, along with Alicia. The Charnel. Perhaps that's where she was living. He wondered what she looked like. Would he finally get to see her face?

And what in the world did she even want from him?

**(Late that Night)**

Jack made his way up into Vancoor Square, headed for the fountain. It was undoubtedly his favorite place to spend the night. His distorted sense of time often saw days and nights where he was sleepless, and it was feeling like it was going to be one of those nights.

Caesar was there as usual, head bowed toward the fountain. He was standing completely still and silent. Jack walked up and sat on the fountain's edge near him, quietly listening to the water. His favorite sound; so relaxing.

Without opening his eyes, Caesar, noticing Jack's presence, said, "You've seemed a bit less conflicted the past few days. Have you been thinking on your dilemma?"

Actually, exactly the opposite. Jack had barely thought about it _at all_.

"Well," he began, not entirely sure what to say. "I've been avoiding it. I haven't really thought about it…at all."

"You should not avoid your problems," Caesar warned. "If this choice you must make is as great and influential as you made it seem, it hardly seems like something you should avoid."

Jack sighed. Caesar was right. But he was honestly still completely unsure where he stood regarding the impending human versus nonhuman war that was going to erupt, and regarding whether he should follow Aphelion's footsteps or follow the cosmic order. "I know, Caesar."

"I am always here for you if you need guidance. I respect your privacy, but you can trust me."

"Thank you, Caesar."

"What is bothering you tonight? I feel it is something different."

That was true. "Well, tomorrow I'm going to meet someone who I used to idolize when I was young. I haven't seen them in a very long time. I don't know what to expect."

"An old friend? Or perhaps a rival."

"A leader, actually. She was the one who set me on my path to lead the guild, really. She is an amazing warrior. Well, she was. I don't know what she is now."

"I am sure she remains the person you remember."

"I somehow doubt that, Caesar." Jack chuckled. "It's been a _long_ time."

Caesar just smiled. "Have faith in your friends."

"I always will."

They sat there in silence for a while, both listening to the fountain. Finally, Caesar turned; he nodded to Jack, who nodded back, and then started off to head home. Jack watched him leave the square, before diverting his attention back to the fountain. He listened to its sound, and tried to count the ripples on the water's surface. People came and went through the square, looking at him—but everyone who passed through on their regular schedules was used to seeing him there, since he was a frequent visitor. It was another place, along with Vancoor, where Jack was used to being seen and so could be there without being too much of a spectacle or object of interest. He figured that was another reason why he was so comfortable there.

Surely enough, his sense of time twisted around until finally, after what felt like a very short amount of time, the sun had risen quite high in the sky. He stood from the fountain to look at the sun.

He turned and left Vancoor Square, following the path back to Vancoor. He went in, and was happy to see that Alicia was waiting in the lobby.

"Hi, Chief! Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Good morning."

"Were you at the fountain all night again? You sure do love it there."

"I really do. Is she ready to meet me?"

"Yes, she is! And she's very excited. Shall we go?" Alicia turned and went toward the stairs leading to the basement. Jack could already feel dread creeping over him—not because he was meeting Elwen, but because he had to go into the sewers. He _hated_ that place.

He followed Alicia down the stairs to the second floor basement, then into the cells. In the fifth cell, they took the ladder down into the Path of the Spider. Jack's least favorite place in the entire world; in all his life, it was the one place he'd never memorized. He avoided it like the plague. Because literally, he was worried he might catch one down there.

But Alicia knew exactly where she was going. She walked along in the darkness. Jack felt queasy the longer they were there; the sound of running water filled the sewer; despite being Jack's favorite ambient noises, it was making him feel sick. He glanced at the water, which was filled with gunk and a thick sludge, with the occasionally lump of trash. Some parts of the walkway were blocked, and the two had to step into the water to pass it. Jack grabbed his red cape, holding it up high so it wouldn't drag through the water and get stained with the sewage. He held it close, not feeling like letting it get ruined. He also glanced down at his armor occasionally; he loved his legendary armor dearly, and was looking to see if the disgusting water was soiling his armor's lovely chartreuse sheen. It didn't look like it, but Jack was still paranoid. He'd be scrubbing it as soon as he was back above ground.

He followed Alicia faithfully, trusting her not to mislead him. He paid very little attention to the path they were taking. He doubted he could find his way back to the ladder in a reasonable time if Alicia decided to bolt and ditch him. He shivered when a storm of bubbles splashed some of the water up onto the path.

Alicia quickly struck down a mud fighter that charged at them from the water. The sludge-covered skeleton fell back into the water in pieces, and Alicia sheathed her sword with a sigh. Jack didn't even need to draw his axe, thankfully—he wasn't looking to stain it with sewage. He did quite love its shimmer.

"I really, _really_ hate it down here," he made sure to point out.

"I do, too," Alicia agreed. "It's quite disgusting. We're almost there."

He continued to follow her through the sewers until finally, they reached a large crack in the wall that was well-lit from within, casting a ray of light out into the darkness.

"This is it," Alicia told him. "Elwen is inside!"

She stepped through the crack, and Jack followed.

Jack looked around the Charnel; it was just as strange as he was able to vaguely remember it from the previous life. Weirdly ceremonial, almost creepy, and lit with candles.

But standing before the altar was a very familiar silhouette, and Jack was breathless for an instant. It really was Elwen, clad in her Ancient Mail with the shimmering Avcoor in hand. She was standing there, back straight; her armor was the same, and just as Jack remembered, her face was still concealed by the unique helmet.

"Hello, Dragonheart," she said, her voice ringing through her own helmet to create the recognizable echoing effect Jack had known so well during his time as a human. "My name is Elwen."

"Yes, I know," Jack couldn't help but say.

"I've been training down here in the Path of the Spider for a _long_ time, all in preparation for this day."

"This day?" Jack asked curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"I followed my beloved Alfred many years ago. When he died, he told me I was meant to lead the warriors of the human race—Theater Vancoor. But when I went to form the guild, I found it already formed, and sitting at the top was none other than you, legendary Dragonheart. They say you have golden eyes, and never age."

"The rumors even make it down here to the sewers? I'm impressed," Jack mumbled.

_"__I _am the rightful leader of the warriors."

Jack's heart dropped. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"It is a mission left to me by my beloved. And so, Dragonheart, that is why I've called you here today."

"To kill me?" Jack demanded.

"No," she replied quickly. "Of course not. I want to challenge you. For the right to lead Vancoor. I wish to face you in a fair duel."

Jack stared for a moment, utterly shocked by what was happening. "You're challenging me for my position?"

"Yes. Do you accept, Dragonheart?"

Jack turned to glare at Alicia, who was standing off to the side looking small. She clearly had no idea what Elwen had planned. Jack was frustrated, but could bring himself to be mad at her. He turned back to face Elwen with a sigh. "Elwen. I don't want to fight you."

"I don't care if you want to. I am _challenging_ your leadership. I am the rightful leader of Vancoor. Face me!"

Jack swallowed hard. She was right. She _was_ the rightful leader of the guild. She was the one who was meant to be Chief. But he had taken that from her in this life. He mentally slapped himself for not even considering that one days he might appear and try to take her rightful place.

"…Fine. I'll face you in a duel. What will you do if I win?" More like _when_ he won. She couldn't defeat him. He'd beat her fair and square with much weaker armor and weaponry as a human. There was no way he could lose now.

"If you win," she began, "You can keep your place as Chief. I only ask that if you do win, you allow me to challenge you again in the future, after I've trained more. But I am confident in my skills now. I will defeat you."

"Very well. If you win, I'll give Vancoor to you. If I win, you'll leave me alone until you've trained more."

Elwen nodded, assuming her fighting stance and raising the Avcoor toward Jack. Jack pulled out his axe and readied himself as well. He saw her helmet move slightly as she locked her gaze onto his axe. Surely it was unlike anything she'd ever seen. He wasn't surprised.

"Your axe looks quite strong. But I am here to claim my rightful place. I will defeat you, legendary Dragonheart. Feel the sting of the legendary Avcoor!"

She let out a battle cry and lunged toward Jack. Jack raised his axe to block her attack. He saw Alicia jump away from the two, and run around the edge of the Charnel to standing by Alfred's altar. Jack blocked a second attack from Elwen, whose blows were powerful just as he remembered.

He swung his axe in a low strike, knocking Elwen off her feet. But in a flash, she was back up, rushing him again. He tried to attack, but she was faster with her one-handed sword than he was with his heavy axe. She jumped out of the way and attacked him from the side. He felt the full strike of her Avcoor against his side, but his Valiant Mail protected him from any harm, and she jumped back in surprise at the ineffectiveness of her attack. He glanced down at his armor; there wasn't even a scratch on it. He was actually rather surprised. He figured it any weapon in the world could scratch his armor, it would be the Avcoor. But he was wrong.

He looked at Elwen with a new sense of confidence. This was _really_ an uneven match.

"Not even a scratch?!" Elwen boomed, clearly disturbed by the ineffectiveness of her legendary Avcoor.

"I'm Chief for a reason," Jack replied.

"Having good armor doesn't make you a good Chief!" Elwen cried, lunging for him again. Jack blocked her, and then swung for her abdomen. One of the spikes on the edge of his axe left a deep scratch across her breastplate, which she stared down in awe at. While she was distracted, Jack rushed in for another attack. The force of his swing tore off the right shoulder from her armor, knocking her back into the wall of the Charnel while her broken armor piece fell into the water. She ran a distance away, taking a few moments to regain control of herself. She tried once more to run in and strike him. Her speed again beat Jack's axe; she was able to hit him again, this time more straight on and in closer proximity. Jack felt the force of the Avcoor's bright blade trying to rip open his armor. Sparks exploding from the contact, showering them both. Jack was barely blown back by the attack—but he was stunned briefly by the deafening sound of the sword against his breastplate.

Elwen was equally affected; she stumbled back, stunned by the overwhelming sound. The both stood there for a moment; Alicia was behind them, covering her ears. After recovering, Jack looked down again. His armor was undamaged.

But the Avcoor's translucent, fiery blade looked to be chipped, just along the edge.

Elwen was staring at it in horror; even Jack was looking at it in awe.

"Impossible!" Elwen yelled. She looked at Jack. "That armor is unreal! It's _impossible! _The Avcoor is the strongest weapon in the world!"

"Actually"—Jack brandished the Ancient Axe—"_this_ is."

Elwen let out a scream as she charged Jack in a last-ditch effort, visibly disheartened by the failure of her holy sword. Jack rushed forward to meet her. She swung the Avcoor, and Jack swung the Ancient Axe; they clashed together. Jack, worried that the Avcoor would break upon contact, angled his axe just slightly. With a _crash_, the Avcoor was blown from Elwen's hand, flying off to the side toward the altar where Alicia gasped in shock. Elwen stared after in in complete horror. Jack jumped forward and struck Elwen one final time, straight to the chest. Her armor was punctured, but Jack was very careful not to actually harm her. She was blown back by the sheer force of the blow, landing in a pool of water with a resonating grunt. Alicia rushed over to her, kneeling beside her in a panic. It was all over her face—she was looking for blood, having assumed Jack's spiked axe had stabbed her.

But Elwen was unharmed—just shaken. She stared up at Jack, who walked up to her. Alicia tried to lean over her to protect her, sobbing, but Jack had no intention of hurting either of them. He lowered his axe to his side, staring down at Elwen. "I won."

Elwen was briefly at a loss for words. She looked at the Avcoor, thrown across the Charnel, and then down at her punctured armor, which had never before been scratched by an enemy's weapon. She looked back up to Jack. "Unbelievable. This…is unbelievable. Your armor…and axe. Are not from this world. It's impossible."

She was actually right. The axe was from the Dragon Lair Cave, and the armor was from the distant Distortion Corridor. Both were otherworldly places. But Jack never knew how powerful they were until that moment; the fact the armor was unscratched by the Avcoor had even Jack at a loss for words.

"I've lost," Elwen stated. "I will keep my word. I will not challenge you again until I have grown stronger. But please, when I feel I am ready, will you meet me again in battle?"

"Of course," Jack said, almost smiling sympathetically. "You know, I actually know who you are. I always used to idolize you."

He didn't need to see Elwen's face to know she was surprised. Even Alicia looked surprised—almost confused.

"I _always_ wanted to know what your face looked like. I take it you still won't show me, even now."

Elwen took a moment to reply. "I cannot. I wear this armor for the sake of my beloved Alfred. I must never remove it in the presence of other people."

"Will you show me your face…if I show you mine?"

Alicia gasped. No one had seen Jack's face in 16 years. The only people to see it were the previous Deputy Chief, Wight, and the doctor who cared for him when he was struck with pain. And before then, _no one _had seen his face. He'd never shown it to anyone, always keeping it concealed with the helm of his Valiant Mail. Everyone knew this. No one in the guild, or all of Radiata, had ever seen his face.

Elwen was silent. She looked at the shocked Alicia, obviously being made aware of the offer being extended to her. But still, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Dragonheart, I cannot. Maybe in the future, but not today."

Alicia grabbed onto her arm. "Elwen! No one has _ever_ seen the Chief's face. You can't turn him down…"

"I'm sorry, Alicia. Not today."

Jack sighed with disappointment. He promised himself, before he died, he'd see Elwen's face. Even if that meant yanking off her helmet against her will. "Well, my offer will still stand. I will remove my helm if you remove yours."

"I understand. Maybe…someday." Elwen struggled to sit up. Alicia took her hand and helped her to stand. She looked down at her armor once again. "I will need to get this fixed…"

"I'll pay for the repairs," Jack offered. Elwen looked ready to protest. "Trust me, I have more money than I know what to do with. It's the least I can do."

She seemed to accept that. "Tell me, Dragonheart. Are the rumors about you true?"

"Not all of them."

"But some of them are."

Jack nodded. "I'll leave it up to you to decide which ones."

She grunted at him. "I am very impressed by your skills. Armor and weapon aside, you are very powerful. An extremely worthy opponent. I will continue to train until I can defeat you."

"You might not even need to defeat me," Jack said. He sensed confusion from the two women. "Maybe someday soon, I'll _give_ Vancoor to you." He knew someday soon he'd need to leave regardless if he wanted to or not. Might as well leave the guild in good hands. Who would be better to replace him than Elwen?

"Chief, you're…?" Alicia trailed off.

"…I can't stay with Vancoor much longer," Jack said sadly. Alicia looked struck with all kinds of emotions. "Someone will have to take my place. I'd leave it to Gerald, but…Elwen would probably be a better choice. But please keep all of this a secret for now, Alicia." Elwen nodded.

"Yes. This should stay between us."

Alicia nodded.

Elwen sighed. "Even if you feel you should leave soon, I would still like to duel you. I shall seek out more opponents to grow stronger. I think I will need to move even further south to find them. Perhaps blood orcs should be my next target."

Jack _hated_ blood orcs. "They will always be worthy opponents. They're quite strong."

Jack remembered the face of the blood orcs. Galvados, the blood orc leader, had been a close ally of his in the previous life—but he was the only blood orc Jack _ever_ looked at with anything less than a searing hatred. It was because of a blood orc that Ridley's fate as the future vessel was sealed. Of course, Jack had taken her place, but it was all because of a blood orc.

And in that moment, Jack froze where he stood.

He tried to speak to the women, but found he barely had any voice to speak with. Finally after several tries, and a few moments of the women questioning if he was okay, he managed to ask, "What time is it?"

"It should be just after noon," Alicia said. She walked over to Jack, reaching out to him as though she feared his health had gone awry. Was that why he was claiming he would need to leave Vancoor? Failing health? Jack could see the thoughts and worries practically plastered on Alicia's nose.

But failing health was the furthest from his problems. His heart was trembling, fluttering uncontrollably, and he felt sweat break out on his forehead beneath his helm. His hands were shaking. "Alicia, please take me out of here. Back to Vancoor. _Now."_

Struck by worry, Alicia started for the door. "I'll be back, Elwen."

"I will be here," she said. "It was an honor facing you, Dragonheart. I look forward to meeting you in battle again."

But Jack didn't hear her. He didn't see her. He was right on Alicia's toes, following her closely. He needed her to lead him out. Out of the sewer, and back above ground. "Please, Alicia. _Faster!"_

Alicia broke into a run through the sewer, drawing her sword and striking down the sludgy enemies that sprung out from the water in their way. They ran through the pathways, in and out of the water. Jack didn't care for his cape getting dirty, and didn't care about the water seeping into his boots. He was watching Alicia's back, following her blindly through the sewer. In what felt like ages to him, they finally reached the ladder leading back up into Vancoor's basement. Alicia stepped aside to let Jack go first. Using as much strength as he could muster, Jack ascended the ladder as fast as he could, skipping some bars. He jumped up into the cell, throwing the iron door open and bolting for the door. He bounded up the staircases to the ground floor, leaving a confused and worried Alicia in the dust.

Gerald was in the lobby, and tried calling out for him. But Jack was blind to him. He shoved him out of the way as he ran for the front door, unaware of anyone around him. Gerald was calling after him, and even followed him for a bit, but stopped when Alicia ran upstairs, claiming Jack was suddenly struck and was panicking about something.

But Jack didn't hear.

He ran through Yellow Town, through White Town, through Blue Town. He flew through the Echidna gate, running as fast as his armor would allow him into the Tria region. He followed the path to the fork in the road and turned north, running straight for the Nowem region. His breath was nonexistent to him—he wasn't focusing on it. He plowed through all of the enemies that stood in his way. He was blind to everything.

The only thing staining his vision was blood. Blood, tears, and dust.

And in the center of it all…the face of a blood orc.

And the vivid memory of Ridley lying in the dirt.

Dying.


	5. Unleashed

Jack was sure breathing would have become a problem, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on it no matter how hard he tried. It was nonexistent; he couldn't feel his body, his breathing. He was moving in a daze, as fast as he could through the Tria region. He could see the colored trees of the Nowem in the distance, so close. But no matter how fast he ran it almost looked like the trees were getting further away with every step rather than closer. He was so overtaken with panic, he couldn't focus on anything. Nothing was straight. Everything was distorted.

Finally he reached the edge of the forest, and ran along the path into the trees. The leaves were falling gently, but they looked like streaks in Jack's vision. Everything was getting blurry, almost indistinct. The only thing that was clear to him was the path he was following. The surrounding trees were blurred, the sounds were muffled. His eyes were still clouded with red, with blood. He turned right onto a new road, headed through the massive tree and out the other side. Then he turned left, headed straight for Wind Valley.

And that's when he heard it.

A loud, vicious roar in the distance, echoing through the trees like a voice echoed through a hall. The sound echoed around Jack's helm, repeating over and over in his ears and worsening his red vision. The voice of the blood orc echoed much longer than it should have—Jack wasn't sure if he was imagining it, or if it was real. He couldn't tell the difference.

And then there was another roar, this one angrier and louder. Jack's heart pounded against the inside of his breastplate, and he could feel it in every vein in his body. It was thumping audibly in his ears, racing at an inhuman pace. Surely he would have lost consciousness long ago if he were human.

He could see the clearing in the distance at last; he could hear the roaring, and feel the vibrations of the blood orc's agitated footsteps. Then at last, he was close enough. Lord Nogueira was there, kneeling beside the barely-alive young Hap, who was lying in the dirt. His wings were fading, and Nogueira's face was plastered with despair and worry. But Jack looked past him; he watched as the blood orc launched itself up into the air, coming down flat and body slamming the ground. A huge cloud of dust exploded around it upon contact; Ganz was sent rolling across the clearing, grunting and moaning. Genius was knocked off his floating Rouquiche, which tumbled around. Nogueira looked up at Jack, and Jack barely heard him ask who he was. But Jack wasn't listening.

But what Jack was focused on was Ridley, who slammed into the ground with a cry. Her axe was knocked far from her hand, landing a few feet beyond her reach. She struggled back to her feet, rushing over to grab her axe from the ground and turning back around to face the charging orc. Ganz was trying his best to get back onto his own feet, while Genius brushed off his green robe and hopped back onto his Rouquiche, raising his Abyss staff back toward the orc. But Ridley was flustered, and vulnerable. The orc charged; its fist ignited with flames, sizzling on its skin and licking up the sides of its spiked gauntlet. In a burst of courage, Ridley raised her axe and charged it. And the orc raised its hand to strike her, aiming right for her head. Everything around Jack froze in its place. This was his worst memory, his worst nightmare. And he was reliving it.

No!

Jack sprang forward, pulling out the Ancient Axe. He wasn't sure how it happened, or if he had been closer than he thought, but he found himself standing in front of Ridley, between her and infuriated, attacking orc. Ridley gasped in surprise, and the orc didn't have time to react. The orc's flaming fist fell right onto Jack's raised axe. Its attack was deflected, leaving no damage whatsoever on Jack or his axe. The orc stumbled back in surprise, its fist dousing itself in a puff of black smoke. Jack, mustering all of his strength, swung his axe with unrelenting force and let out an angry cry. It struck the orc straight in the abdomen, leaving a terrible slice and blowing the orc back, launching it into the air. It crashing into the ground a good ten feet away, rolling a bit before trying to get back up, growling and bearing its massive teeth at Jack.

Ridley was saved from the life-ending impact she had suffered in the past life, Jack's worst memory. And with that, Jack was finally able to focus more on his surroundings. His breathing was normal, and the panic was washed away. Now, he was just angry.

Ridley was on the ground behind him, having dropped her axe and fallen back in surprise. "Y-you!"

Ganz and Genius were equally shocked to see Jack there. Jack raised his axe when the orc got back on its feet, looking immeasurably infuriated and staring right at Jack.

"Chief Dragonheart, be careful!" Ganz cried, as though the orc was any threat to Jack at all. Jack ate blood orcs for breakfast.

The orc stormed toward Jack in a rage, both fists igniting. Jack stood his ground, and when the orc was just close enough, he swung his axe again with unforgiving momentum, slicing across its chest. It fell to the ground, seriously wounded. It lie there in the dirt for a few moments, grumbling and growling, before it finally went limp. Everyone stared at it in awe.

Ridley got up behind him, walking over to him. He turned to look at her when she touched his arm. "You saved me. I owe you my life."

Jack couldn't reply to her. He just looked at her face, washed over with an unbelievable relief that she was unharmed. He'd prevented it. He let out a huge deep breath, a cool feeling overtaking his body. All of his muscles relaxed, and a fluttery feeling filled his chest.

Ganz ran over. "Chief Dragonheart! That was amazing! You are so powerful!" he rambled, his eyes practically sparkling. "You killed that orc with only two hits! And you saved Lady Ridley! The rumors about your power and heart are true!"

He glanced over Ganz's shoulder. Nogueira was staring at him with a soft face, holding Hap in his arms. Jack couldn't read the emotion; he stared at Nogueira's for a second, but couldn't make it out. But it made him uncomfortable. Jack looked at Hap, and did feel a sting of regret that he couldn't save him _along_ with Ridley, but the regret didn't linger long. It was Ridley he'd run all the way from Radiata to save, not Hap. Nogueira could perform the transpiritation on Hap with someone else, and _not_ his Ridley.

Nogueira hovered over to the group, carrying the quickly fading Hap in his arms. He was still looking right at Jack, who again met his eyes. "I am impressed," he said. He sounded sad. Of course he would be, since Hap was dying in his arms. Again, Jack felt a tiny sting of regret. And Genius was looking at the tiny elf sadly, as well. It didn't take long for all of them to be overcome with sadness at Hap's unfortunate fate.

"I'm sorry I wasn't in time to save him," Jack said after a moment, looking down at Hap again.

"I am happy enough that you arrived here when you did," Nogueira said. "My brother Zane will not be happy to hear about this though. Hap is quickly dying, and I was unable to handle the orc myself. This means, sir, that we are indebted to you."

Jack remembered Nogueira's angry words from the previous life, just before he killed the orc himself. 'This is an elf problem. We will not allow ourselves to become indebted to humans.'

But Jack shook his head. "There is no debt here. I hate orcs. I would kill one if I saw it in Radiata, or inside the City of Flowers. It doesn't matter who it's attacking. I kill them because I hate them, not to indebt others." It was the truth, but also a lie. He had come to kill this one specifically because he _needed_ to save Ridley. It _did_ matter who it was attacking. But it was truthful, because even if Ridley was far away and safe from harm, Jack would still kill any blood orc he saw, whether it was attacking a human knight, or an elven child. As long as it wasn't Ridley in its path, it really didn't matter.

Nogueira bowed his head to him in respect, seeming to accept his answer. He stared down at Hap in his arms sadly.

Suddenly, Genius perked up. "Didn't Hyann say there were two orcs? Where has the second one gone?"

Jack looked around the clearing, but there was no second orc in sight. And he didn't hear anything; no stomping, or roaring. It didn't seem to be near. Nogueira seemed equally disturbed by Genius' point, and also looked around nervously. Everyone became edgy, because now they didn't know if they were about to be ambushed.

"A better question," Genius continued. "What was a blood orc doing way out here?" He looked over to the fallen orc, eyes over brimming with suspicion. But Jack knew exactly why the orc was there. It was because the ever-disgusting _Sir Cross_ had brought it there. And when he arrived—and Jack knew he would soon—Jack was considering facing him right then and there. He wasn't going to deal with Cross in this life. He might even be angry enough to kill him.

He looked back to Ridley, who was still looking at him, unconcerned with the orc lying slain in the distance. She seemed captivated by him, and there was some confusion in her eyes. Jack stared into her eyes, thankful they were open, and thankful that she wasn't lying in the dirt, 'white as a sheet.'

"How did you know to come here? Your timing was…so perfect to save me."

It was perfect. He'd arrived at exactly the right time. If he'd spend even a minute longer speaking to Elwen in the Path of the Spider, he might not have made it, and Ridley would be lying in the dirt dying just like in the past life.

"Where did you even _come_ from?" she demanded.

Jack didn't have time to think up a good lie. He'd literally run all the way from Vancoor in Radiata to stop the orc attack. He didn't have an excuse thought up ahead of time. He just stared at her, speechless, trying hopelessly to think of an excuse. But nothing good game to his mind.

"I was nearby," he managed to say, knowing it probably sounded like a lie. "I heard roaring."

Ridley was looking at him with a look of disbelief—she wasn't buying it. But Jack didn't care.

"Wait!" Genius cried out in shock. "Listen! _Listen!"_

Everyone fell silent, stiff as stone. There is was. Growling. Then the ground began to vibrate, faster and faster. Footsteps!

And the second horned orc emerged from the trees, its fists enflamed. Its eyes were burning with rage. Its comrade was fallen.

Jack's vision went red again. He didn't have time to move, or lift his axe.

The orc lunged forward for the nearest person, swinging its fist. It nailed Ridley, its fist crashing against the side of her head with a crack. She let out a scream, falling to the ground motionless. Blood began to slowly pool around her head.

Jack's heart stopped. There was no sound. No movement. Things became blurry. He could see the blurs of Ganz and Genius moving to stop the orc's rampage. The orc punched Ganz in the gut, denting his armor and launching him back, but he rose back to his feet. Nogueira, in a rage, raised his hand, which began to glow with light as he prepared an attack of his own.

But Jack's eyes were locked on Ridley, lying there on the ground, bleeding. There was a sharp pain in Jack's heart. It felt like it was literally cracking. Hot tears stung his eyes, threatening to overflow. He body was overcome with pain, but he couldn't tell if it was physical pain, or a strong emotional pain.

His eyes moved to the orc rampaging around the clearing and leaving streaks and puffs of fire in its wake. It was chasing a panicking Ganz around, who was fleeing for his life, having dropped his sword. Nogueira was nearly ready to kill it, but his light was taking too long to grow. Jack felt his hand release his axe, letting it fall to the ground. He couldn't move to pick it up. He couldn't control himself.

And then all he felt was flame in his chest. A surge that was bubbling up toward his head. His head was flushed with head, and tears streaked his face, falling from under his helm. It was a searing anger. He felt his eyes sting not with tears, but fire. The surge of power flew up through his throat.

And he opened his mouth, and let out a devastated, enraged scream.

His vision was blinded with a golden, sparkling light. He could see silhouettes just barely, being blown away by the power that was radiating from his body like phoenix fire. Everyone was thrown away from him. But there was one silhouette that exploded in the light—vanishing into a cloud, being worn away by the power.

His scream resonated all through the air, echoing far and wide while his powerful light pushed everything away from him, bending the trees like a powerful wind. Then finally, his voice cracked, and his scream faded to a sob. The light vanished, and everything was unnaturally still and calm. Jack's eyes never focused; things began to grow dark. He felt himself fall, landing in the dirt—but he didn't feel the impact. He was near Ridley, and tried to reach out to her. He kept sobbing "No!" but whether he was saying it in his mind or out loud was beyond him now. He felt disconnected from the world. His eyes were locked on Ridley's face, which was the only thing he could see clearly enough to make out. He dragged his hand along the dirt, trying to reach her, but he couldn't his vision was fading and his breathing was uncontrolled.

He felt someone kneeling over him, as though to protect him. There was no sound except for his own choked sobbing—which may or may not have all been inside his head. He saw a flash of green. Was it Lord Nogueira hunched over him?

He stared at Ridley's face until everything finally went black.

It was Nogueira who was leaned over him. His practiced hands were checking over Jack's fallen body, checking for injuries. Ganz struggled to his feet, while Genius sat in the dirt, staring wide-eyed at the scene before him. The second blood orc was nowhere to be seen, completely destroyed by the power unleashed from the armored man. Ganz rushed over to Jack and Ridley, both fallen in the dirt. Jack's hand was just inches from Ridley's, outstretched as though trying to reach her. Both Ganz and Genius were struck with overwhelming emotions that seemed to have been ignited by the light, and Jack's tortured scream. They both had no idea what had brought on the sudden emotions within them.

Ganz looked down at the two, his eyes almost tearing up. "Are they dead?" he asked in a whimper.

Nogueira was more concerned with Jack's well-being than Ridley, but glanced to the girl. "No, neither of them are dead. But the girl is in grave danger."

Ganz looked to Ridley in a panic.

_"__Ridley!"_

Everyone looked to see a knight approaching, running across a fallen log. His purple armor and silver hair were unmistakable—it was Captain Cross of the Noire Mouton Brigade.

"Lord Cross!" Ganz said as Cross approached them.

"I was on a mission and heard orcs, so I came as fast as I could. What was that light, and that scream?" he demanded.

Nogueira stepped up and said bravely, "It was me."

Ganz and Genius looked at Nogueira in shock. Why was he claiming to have done what Jack had?

"Of course, it _did_ seem like the trickery of your kind," Cross snapped. Nogueira looked to Ganz and Genius with a stern look. _Don't say anything._ And Ganz and Genius both got the message. Neither spoke up or called him out on his lie. Cross, however, was looking angry. "What are you doing here, anyway? Leave us, and go back to your lair."

Nogueira moved so he was for the most part blocking Jack from Cross' vision. He carefully placed the dying Hap on the ground beside Ridley, between her and Jack. Cross' eyes flashed with anger.

"Damn you! Keep your hands off Ridley!"

"Lord Cross!" Ganz exclaimed. He glanced to Nogueira. "Lord Nogueira was the one…who saved us!" It wasn't true, but Ganz had faith in Nogueira. He must have had a reason for covering up for Dragonheart.

"I'm sorry, but with the girl in this state, I cannot help her…" Nogueira said sadly. A sadness rippled over the others. "However, there might be a way to save her. Whether it will work or not…I cannot say. But we have no other choice. A transpiritation ritual is their only hope."

Genius eye's widened. "Huh? You'll perform a transpiritation? On a human?"

"Transpiritation?" Ganz mumbled.

"I'm not going to trust you lot and your depraved rituals," Cross said angrily, reaching over Ridley as though to block Nogueira from touching her. "Ridley will be cured by human hands!"

"Then I am afraid the girl is doomed," Nogueira said. "She has only a few moments before her heart stops beating."

Cross grunted, and straightened back up.

"Can this transpiritation save Lady Ridley?" Ganz asked desperately.

"I am not sure. But I do know that if we do nothing… Hap and the girl will die. Now, what will you do?"

"Lord Nogueira," Ganz said, "we beg you. Please save Lady Ridley."

Cross faced him with a rage in his eyes. "Damn you, Ganz. I'll report you for this."

"Quiet, all of you," Nogueira demanded. "We will begin."

He closed his eyes in concentration. Finally, he reopened them, and raised his hand, waving it around. Blue lights radiated over the chests of Ridley and Hap, forming a sphere. With a burst, the light crashed into spheres, one above each of them. The lights rose into the air, following Nogueira's hands. Everyone stared wide-eyed in amazement as Nogueira guided the lights upward. They touched, and merged together, changing color and growing brighter. A new, orange light hovered above Ridley, and Nogueira closed his eyes, guiding it back down to Ridley's body. It touched Ridley's chest, and a bright red light blanketed the orange sphere. It disappeared into Ridley's glowing body. Her head wound closed, healing itself.

And in an instant, Hap's body vanished into sparkles, as though it were never there.

Nogueira hunched over, grunting and clutching his chest in pain.

"Are you all right?!" Ganz cried.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," he promised. They all looked down at Ridley, whose white face began to regain its pink, flush color. Ganz's face lit up with happiness. "She is not out of danger yet. You must take her back to your castle at once. This young girl needs to rest. I will return to the City of Flowers. I must tell my brother Hap's body is no more."

"What about Chief Dragonheart?" Ganz asked, looking past Nogueira at Jack, who was lying on the ground, unmoving.

"Who?" Cross demanded, stepping to the side to see for himself. "Who is that?"

"It's Chief Dragonheart, of Theater Vancoor," Ganz informed him. "He helped us to fight the orcs before Nogueira finished them off."

"He will be coming with us," Cross said. "I will not leave a human in the hands of an elf."

But Nogueira stepped between Cross and the fallen Jack. "No. He will be coming with me."

"Absolutely not! He is a human," Cross shouted. "He will return with us to Radiata, where he belongs!"

"He needs the help of the elves, or he will die," Nogueira said. "There is nothing you can do for him. We will heal him, and we will send him back to you when he has regained his strength. You must trust me. No harm will come to him."

"I will not allow it!" Cross boomed.

But Ganz stepped in. "Lord Cross, if Lord Nogueira says that Dragonheart can only be healed by elven medicine, then we must allow them to care for him! Why go against him? He has already saved Lady Ridley! He will save Dragonheart, as well."

Cross glared at Ganz, ready to spew insults and threats.

While Cross was distracted, Nogueira turned and lifted Jack into his arms. Tiny lights began to rise from the ground around him as he prepared to fly.

Cross saw what he was doing and turned back to face him. "Stop! Unhand him, elf scum!"

"He will be safe, I give you my word," Nogueira promised, lifting into the air with Jack in his arms. "He will be returned to the castle as soon as he is well. Please, take his axe back to your city with you. I cannot carry both."

Ganz rushed over to pick up the Ancient Axe. He struggled to lift its weight up, resting it on his shoulder.

"And please, do protect the girl and see she gets well. I shudder to think what would become of this man if something were to become of her."

They stared up at him in confusion, watching as Nogueira ascended into the sky with Jack. Down below, Cross wasted no time lifting Ridley up into his own arms, taking off into the woods to return to the castle. Ganz and Genius ran behind him.

Nogueira looked down, watching them go, and then looked to the unconscious Jack in his arms. Without a word, he took off through the sky toward the distant City of Flowers.

**(The Next Morning)**

Jack stirred with a quiet groan. He was beginning to regain consciousness, and could hear noises around him. Shuffling, some quiet talking. Where was he?

He struggled to open his eyes, but managed to force them open. A bright light blinded him for a moment, before his eyes managed to focus and things began to become clearer. He looked to be in a large, earthy hut. It was filled with flowers and vines, and intricately carved wooden furniture. It was bright, and green. It was warm. There was the distant sound of running water.

Jack rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up. He heard a quiet gasp, and the talked ceased. He wasn't aware enough to tell where the people were, how far away. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. He opened his eyes again, looking down at himself. He was in a bed, covered by a warm green blanket.

But most notably, his armor was gone. He was wearing grass clothes, comfortable and warm. He stared at himself, aware something was missing but not thinking straight enough to know what.

_"__Can you hear us?"_ someone asked.

Jack looked in the direction of the voice, and could see two people standing beside the bed. They were wearing long robes, and there was a swirl of green around both of them. Behind them, there was a rainbow shimmering. Light elves?

"Where am I?" Jack barely managed to mumble, rubbing his head. He was suddenly struck by a headache.

He heard a faint reply. "You're in the City of Flowers."

The words struck Jack. His focus snapped in slowly, and he opened his eyes. Finally the blurriness began to clear up.

He was in Zane's house!

He looked at the elves beside him. It was Zane and Nogueira, looking down at him. Nogueira was looking sickly, and there were bags under his eyes. His wings looked dimmer than Jack remembered.

Jack tried to recall what had happened, but his memories were all hazy.

"What happened? Why am I here?" he asked, trying to remember.

"You unleashed your power upon a blood orc," Nogueira explained. "And you fell unconscious. We brought you here, fearing the humans would realize what you are."

Fear struck Jack's heart. What he was? Had he revealed himself?

"I claimed responsibility for the light and wave of power to protect you," Nogueira said. "I can only hope the knight and his companion will keep quiet about the truth. If the humans were to figure out that you were a dragon, they could seek to slay you."

Jack's eyes fell. He had revealed himself.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, mostly to himself. He still couldn't remember what happened.

"You seemed to lose control of your emotions," Nogueira claimed. "When the blonde girl was struck by the orc, you unleashed your power in a rage."

Jack thought on it for a moment. When _who_ was struck?

And then it all rushed back to him. The orc attack, the second orc ambushing them. Ridley being hit before Jack could protect her. The blood pooling around her head.

Jack was overcome with despair. He leaned over, holding his head. "Ridley was…she was…" he mumbled. Tears spilled over, running down his face like rivers. He started to sob, crying harder and harder the more he thought about it. He failed to save her. She was dead. His beloved Ridley, the one person he loved more than anything in the world. Dead.

He felt someone wrap their arms around his trembling body, trying to comfort him. "Shh, it will be all right," they said. It was Nogueira. "The girl is alive. I was able to save her."

But Jack still trembled, crying his heart out. The transpiritation. _That_ was the reason she became the vessel in the past life, before Jack took her place. He didn't _want_ that for her. Hearing that didn't make Jack feel any better. He still cried, his sobs turning into wails. He couldn't control himself. He'd failed.

"Please, calm down," Zane urged over Jack's cries. Nogueira tried hopelessly to comfort him, but Jack was beyond his help. He just needed to let his emotions out before he could calm down. He needed to let everything out. He couldn't bottle this up.

Realizing that they couldn't talk him into calming down, Zane fell quiet, and Nogueira just sat on the edge of the bed, his arm around Jack's shoulders. For a long few moments, Jack just despaired, before finally, he started to calm down. His crying finally died back down to sobs; it seemed like the worst was over, and the two light elves visibly relaxed, clearly relieved that Jack's flurry of despair was coming to an end.

"You don't need to cry so hard," Nogueira reassured him. "I saved her."

Jack knew that, but Nogueira didn't realize that a transpiritation was bad, too. But Jack knew that Nogueira had the best intentions, and so couldn't bring himself to be angry at him. He tried to wipe the tears out of his eyes, and looked to Nogueira. He struggled to say, "Thank you."

Nogueira smiled at him.

"Why do you care so strongly for a human girl?" Zane asked. Jack looked at him, and so did Nogueira.

"Brother, it is none of our business. He has clearly had feelings for the girl for much longer than we can perceive. It is not our place to judge him."

It was true. Jack's feelings for Ridley were born in the last life, and had been growing and dwelling for centuries until the present time. He'd had hundreds of years for his love to grow.

"It seems hardly natural," Zane said, carefully wording his sentence and clearly trying not to insult Jack. But Jack still felt a sting of anger at him.

"A dragon's love is powerful, brother. This is beyond us," Nogueira urged. "Let him be."

Jack was thankful for Nogueira. He had always admired him. Zane was more of a pain, but Nogueira was always soft and kind, and understanding more than anything else. He was wise.

Jack remembered, he'd die soon. He looked at Nogueira, who was already beginning to look ill. His life looked like it was being sucked away.

"You don't look so good," Jack said, staring at Nogueira.

He offered him a sad smile. "The transpiritation took a lot out of me. I am still tired."

Jack knew he was lying, but respected his privacy. He wasn't sure if Zane knew what had befallen his brother, and he didn't want to reveal it when Nogueira wanted it kept secret.

Finally, Jack looked down at himself, and was fully aware that his armor was missing. "Where is my armor?"

"Some of the women are cleaning it," Zane reported. "It will be good as new when they are finished."

"And my axe?" He noticed that was nowhere to be seen, either.

"I could not carry both you and it," Nogueira said. "The short knight took it back to the human city with him. I promised you would return safely as soon as you were able. There was another knight who arrived after you fell unconscious. He was insisting he be allowed to take you back to the human city."

Jack scowled. Captain Cross, no doubt. Nogueira seemed to pick up on his disgust.

"I told them you would die if you did not receive care from the elves, and promised you would return unharmed once you had regained your strength."

"I do not think he _should_ return," Zane declared. "He is not safe in the human city. If they learn of his nature, they will try to kill him."

"I'm going back," Jack quickly said. Zane looked ready to protest, but Jack glared at him.

"You are not safe there, Lord Quasar," Zane insisted.

"I am perfectly safe. They couldn't hurt me if they tried," Jack said. "And I was discovered, I could defend myself just fine, and leave the city if I wanted to. They couldn't stop me."

Zane sighed, crossing his arms. "We need you here. We need your support. Unrest is growing. I fear conflict may soon break out. Surely you will stand with us? Should it come to that?"

"Where I stand is my business," Jack snapped. "When the time comes, I will decide. But the time _hasn't_ come yet."

Zane sighed again, and didn't speak.

Nogueira was just looking at Jack's face. "To have become the vessel at such a young age," he mumbled to himself. "It's…rather sad. It must have been hard for you."

Jack didn't reply. He didn't want to talk about it. He wiped his eyes again, trying to dry the last of his tears. There was an empty feeling growing in his stomach, likely because of his failure to protect Ridley. It was a cold feeling inside him.

"I want to leave."

Zane _and_ Nogueira looked ready to refuse. "Are you well enough?"

"I'm fine. I want to go back to Radiata. I don't want to stay here."

Zane called for someone, and a small female elf hovered in. Zane muttered some words to her, and she nodded and took off. After a few long moments, she and two other women flew in, carrying the separate pieces of Jack's armor in their arms. One of them had his red cape, which had been washed clean of the stains from the sewer. The set the armor pieces on his bed.

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked, standing from the bed. He looked at his armor, which was scrubbed clean of any dirt or other imperfections. It was shimmering in the morning sunlight that was shining through the windows of Zane's house.

"It is morning now. You fell unconscious yesterday in the afternoon. It's hasn't been terribly long," Nogueira replied. Jack nodded and pulled off the grass shirt. He'd gained considerable muscle over his centuries as dragon, in comparison to when he was a human. He pulled on the black shirt that he wore beneath his armor, and changed pants quickly. He began to put on the pieces of his armor; the boots, the leg armor, his chest plate, the gauntlets and shoulder plates. Nogueira attached his cape when he was adjusting his gauntlet, and he thanked him. Then he picked up his helm and held it under his arm, turning to face the light elf brothers.

"Thank you for caring for me," he said nodding to them. The both nodded back.

"When the time comes, Lord Quasar…" Zane began, "you are welcome to return here. You are always welcome here."

"Thank you," Jack replied. He pulled his helm on over his head, concealing his face once again.

"What name do you go by, if I may ask?"

"Jack Russell. But they call me Dragonheart in the city."

Zane looked shocked by his name, but Nogueira just nodded. Of course Zane would recognize it; he would have known Jack's would-be father well.

"I'm leaving. Thank you again," he said, walking past them and going through the door onto the walkway. He looked around, staring at the beautiful City of Flowers. It was one of his favorite places in the world. There were groups of light elves standing and hovering nearby, watching him wide-eyed and whispering among themselves. Jack quietly made his way down the long path to the cliff face, where the large crevice cracked the rock. The river was rushing through it to the other side into the Elf region. Jack stepped into the water to go through, when someone called for him from behind.

He turned to look who called him, and saw none other than the famous light elf warrior Gil flying toward him.

"Yes?" he asked, ready to leave.

Gil held out his hand, and a spike of ice formed in his palm. He gripped it tightly. It was a sword, identical to the ones Gil used himself in battle. Its blade was shimmering in the sunlight, catching the light like a crystal.

"Use this on your way back," he said, holding the ice sword out for Jack, who reached and took it. It was freezing in his hand, but his glove protected him from any frosty pain. "It is nothing like your weapon, I'm sure, but I'd hate for you to be unarmed. It will melt in a half day. You can throw it in a river when you've finished with it."

Jack admired the blade for a few moments. Even though it was just a chunk of sharp ice, it still managed to be beautiful and elegant, like an expensive, intricately-decorated sword made to be presented to royalty. Jack had always admired Gil's swords when he was a human, fighting with the nonhuman races in the war. Gil was one of the first people he befriended after joining them at Fort Helencia, and they had barely ever left each other's side during the war. Gil had even followed Jack into the Distortion Corridor.

"Thank you, Gil."

"You know my name?" he asked.

"Of course," Jack replied. He couldn't outright say how he knew him—well, he _could_, since Gil was undoubtedly aware he was the gold dragon. But he still didn't want to, preferring not to reminisce about their friendship from the past life. So instead, he said, "I've read your poetry. I love it."

Gil was overcome with visible happiness. "I'm honored. I will write poetry about you, as well!"

Jack nodded, thanked him again, and turned to leave. He held the icy sword in his hand as he crossed through the crevice, walking through the water. He emerged in the stream, and went up onto the path, turning left and headed back for Radiata. He tried to think about happy things from the past life, like his friendship with Gil, but his mind kept ending up back on Ridley. And the more he thought about it, the more his bubble of despair grew. It quickly overtook him, and he walked in a daze, cutting down anything that tried to bite at him without even barely looking at it.

The only think on his mind…was if Ridley would somehow manage to again become the new vessel, but this time, for Aphelion.

**(Later that Day)**

Jack was finally back in the city, having talked his way into Fort Helencia so he wouldn't have to walk all the way around through Nowem and Tria. He entered through the Faucon gate into Black Town, still very much in a heavy daze. He was rarely _ever_ seen in Black Town, so everyone who saw him was staring and whispering—probably gossiping. He at least passed through Blue Town on occasion, so he wasn't so amazing there. But Black Town was a different story. He saw some people staring at him menacingly from the shadows—Alba in particular, and he saw Eon run by—looking very much ready to jump and try to steal from him. But, thanks to Jack's long-standing friendship with Ortoroz, he knew that the members of the Void were forbidden from attacking him. To think offering 10 dagols to a child would turn out to be such a good choice. If there was one thing Jack wasn't for, it was fighting off annoying Void rats.

He made his way through the entire city until finally, he came to stand before Vancoor in Yellow Town. He wasn't particularly happy to be back—but he wasn't really particularly feeling anything at all besides the huge bubble of despair he was trapped in. The sadness was looming over him like a cloud, raining hard on him and occasionally zapping him with a lightning bolt.

He took a deep breath and went up the stairs, opening the door and stepping inside.

There were more people than usual in the lobby. Everyone looked when Jack walking in, some of them gasping. Gerald, Caesar, and Alicia were the first people he saw.

"Chief!" Gerald exclaimed. Everyone crowded him in a hurry. "Chief, are you hurt?!"

"What happened? Where did you go?" Alicia asked, clearly worried.

"Some fat knight came in here with your axe and said you were hurt in a fight with blood orcs, and that you were taken by the light elves! Did they hurt you?" Gerald went on.

"We were getting ready to come and rescue you," David said. He was behind Gerald. Jack noticed even Jarvis was there, with a near-tears Daniel beside him. There were more behind them. It looked like a considerable size of the guild had gathered there—apparently getting ready to leave on a 'rescue mission.'

"I'm fine," Jack said quietly. It didn't seem like many, if any, heard him.

"What did the elves do to you?" someone else demanded.

"They probably performed some crazy ritual on him. Look at him! Something is clearly messed up. They've done something to him!"

"We should go show those elves who's boss!"

"How dare they touch our Chief."

Jack couldn't take it. "Get _away_ from me!" he yelled. The whole group looked shocked, quickly backing away to give him space. "Everyone, just shut up!"

"Chief, what's wrong?" Gerald asked, with a quieter voice. "What have they done to you?"

"They haven't done _anything_ to me!" he yelled back. "I wasn't hurt by any blood orcs, and I wasn't messed up with an elven ritual. Where's my axe?"

"It's upstairs on your desk," Gerald replied. "Chief…"

"Be quiet!" he ordered. "Move!"

Everyone moved out of his way to let him pass; he went to the staircase and went all the way up, leaving the group of warriors behind without another word. He threw the door to his room open, went in, and slammed it shut behind him. He stormed over to his desk, where his axe was sitting, shimmering like it always did. He picked it up, and in a rage, went over to the armor suit on display in the corner of the room. With a single swift swing, he cut it in half, and watched it crash to the floor. He let out an angry, despaired scream at the top of his lungs with all of his breath. It didn't release an unforgiving light upon the world, nor did it echo. But it struck the hearts of everyone beneath him, who heard his agonized cry. He threw his axe down on the floor—it cracked the wooden planks with a loud boom—and Jack fell to his knees, letting his despair overtake him once again. A few tears fell from his eyes, but then he willed the rest to dry. He just sat there, his hands shaking, as he let it sink in that for the second time…

He'd failed the save the one he loved.

**(A/N: I was babbling about Gil and Jack never leaving each other's side because literally that is what I do when I play the game. If I'm playing the nonhuman path, Gil is in my party at ALL times lol. He is my favorite character. So there'll be a friendship between them when I write because I use him in my party so often.)**


	6. Perpetual Silence

A long silence had fallen over the usually-bustling Vancoor. Thanos took written requests from clients without barely a word. It was midday when Anastasia visited the Theater, with her silver-haired twin priestesses in tow. She walked gracefully to Thanos' desk to present him with her request for a crocogator skin. She smiled at him, offered him compliments—while Adina and Elena mumbled insults at the unclean building.

But Thanos just nodded. "Someone'll take care of it. Eventually."

"Whatever is the matter, darling?" Anastasia prodded. "Everyone is so gloomy here."

Thanos wasn't in the mood to talk. "Something's wrong with our Chief."

"Oh no!" Anastasia cried. "What ails him, darling? Is it something my priestesses can tend? We are more than happy to help. My girls are superb healers. Perhaps we can help!" She had claimed the attention of everyone in lobby. Rolec was standing by the bulletin board, while Gareth and Aldo were lingering near the door, ready to leave for lunch. Alicia was standing beside the twins, having been fussing over some papers at the desk. Carlos was passing through. They were all looking at the three Olacion members with tiny glimmers of hope in their eyes. Anastasia's offer to try and talk to Jack had ignited a spark of hope in the room, which had previously been plagued with gloomy silence.

"By all means, go and try. He won't talk to anyone. He's up on the fourth floor."

Anastasia nodded to the twins, who went for the staircase side by side.

"Don't bother knocking," Thanos called. "He won't answer. Just go on in."

They nodded to him and started up the stairs. Adina looked to her sister as they walked. "It's so quiet in here."

"I know," Elena agreed. "The last time we were here, we could barely hear the receptionist over the yelling."

"I wonder what's wrong with their Chief. It must be awful if it's got everyone so quiet and sad."

"We'll see."

They reached the fourth floor and went to the door. Neither sister immediately reached for the handle to barge in. Elena knocked on the door despite Thanos saying there was no need. But it wasn't really knocking for permission—she knocked out of consideration for his privacy, simply to let the Chief know they were outside and coming in.

Elena didn't wait for a reply, but opened the door after a few seconds. She and her sister stepped into the room, closing the door behind them. As soon as they entered, they were engulfed by a sense of gloom. They both felt it; it hit them like a brick wall. It was like a physical bubble filling the room, enveloping anyone who went inside. They glanced at each other before taking a few steps into the room.

Jack was beside the desk at the back of the room, standing in complete silence. He was staring out the window at the distant castle, unmoving. He didn't acknowledge them in the slightest.

"Hello?" Elena asked. "Chief Dragonheart?" He still didn't move, or make any sound. She quietly walked over to stand beside Jack. "Hello?"

She reached out and touched his arm, but he _still_ didn't show any sign of even realizing they were there. The sisters looked to each other, unsure of what to do.

"Wow," Adina mumbled. "He's really out of it."

"Chief Dragonheart, my name is Elena," she said. "I'm with the Olacion Order. Do you remember me? We spoke once."

No response.

"Your receptionist asked us to come up here and see if we could help you. Are you sick?" It was futile. Jack was either ignoring her, or was so blanked out he wasn't hearing her at all. She sighed, and reached out to touch his cheek, which was left partially exposed by his helm. It didn't feel too hot, but rather somewhat cold_._ She touched his neck, feeling his pulse to see if it was strange or erratic. She could barely feel it, beating so slowly and faintly. She looked to her sister with a look in her eye that her sister was able to immediately make out. They both knew there was definitely something wrong with him.

"I can help you, but you need to tell me what's wrong," Elena persisted. She tried tapping Jack's arm again to try and get his attention, but he was still completely unresponsive. "Adina, can you try using Recovery Ray on him? Maybe he's wounded underneath his armor somewhere. His heart is faint and he's feeling cold."

Adina nodded and began to pray, conjuring up a growing light above her head. Elena tried to wedge herself between Jack and the window without pushing him, standing on her toes to look into the slit in his helmet—the mouth of the lizard-like face on his helmet that allowed him to see out. She tried to look inside and see if his eyes were open, but she couldn't see anything. Giving up on seeing through his helmet, she snapped her fingers in front of his concealed face a few times, trying to get _any_ sort of reaction. But he was still as stone. He was barely breathing.

Adina cast the light toward Jack, and he was briefly engulfed by it. It washed over his body, searching for any injuries or weaknesses to cure. It faded after a few seconds, but there was no change in him.

"…Guess he's not hurt," Elena surmised. Adina went to stand beside them.

"I don't think the problem is physical," she said. "Chief, can you hear us at all? Move a finger if you hear us."

No movement, no response. His hands were still. The sisters looked at each other once again, stumped.

"Chief, my name is Adina. Did something happen to you? What's making you like this?"

"Adina, I don't think he can hear us."

"We don't know for sure," she insisted. "Chief?"

They both looked when the door suddenly opened. A visibly worried Alicia stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. "You can't get him to notice you, can you?" She walked over to stand beside them.

"What happened to him? Why is he like this?" Elena asked her.

"We don't know," Alicia replied. "He's been like this since yesterday morning. He was very upset when he returned from the Elf lands, and now he's fallen into this silence. He won't so much as glance at anyone who comes in here. Not even his closest friends."

"He was in the Elf lands?"

Alicia looked to Jack sadly. "Let's step outside. We shouldn't talk about him in here." The twins nodded and followed Alicia out into the hallway.

"That's what we were told. He ran out in a panic two days ago. Later that day, a knight came to Vancoor carrying his axe. He claimed that the Chief was hurt while battling blood orcs, and he'd been taken by the light elves to be cared for. He came back yesterday morning. He stormed up here, screamed at something, and he hasn't moved or made any noise since. He's just staring at the castle."

"Hurt by blood orcs?" Adina gasped.

"That could be what's wrong," Elena guessed. "One of them must have managed to hit him. Weird things happen to people who get hit by blood orcs. They don't usually live very long. We had a man brought to Olacion once who was hurt by an orc. We barely saved him in time."

"He seemed fine when he came back, though, and he was with the elves all night before that. The knight claimed they promised his safe return after he was healed. Surely they took care of it?"

"Hard to say. Clearly there's _something_ wrong with him."

"Can I suggest something?" Adina asked. "Don't laugh."

Alicia and Elena waited for her to continue.

"It feels, to me, like he's actually…heartbroken?"

They stared at her in confusion. Elena scoffed at her.

"Don't brush it off so quickly," Adina said. "I met a man once who was heartbroken. Girls cry when they're heartbroken, but men are different. He's basically emanating sadness. We both felt it when we walked in, Elena." Alicia was looking closer to agreeing, but Elena was still dismissing the idea. "Maybe someone he loves was attacked by the orcs, also."

"That could be possible," Alicia agreed. "But…if the Chief is heartbroken, what can we do to help him?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do," Adina said sadly. "If someone was killed by the orcs, there's no bringing them back."

Alicia's face fell. "That's true."

"Did he ever talk about any girls? Was there anyone he loved?"

"He's never talked about anyone before," Alicia replied. "He's very… I wouldn't say quiet, but he doesn't ever talk about his personal life. He may have mentioned something to Caesar, or Gerald, but never anyone else."

"Well, either way, it doesn't matter," Elena said. "There's nothing we can do to help him. He's not physically ill. He's depressed."

Alicia nodded to them. The sisters lingered for a moment before headed for the staircase to return downstairs. Alicia followed them down, watching as they went to rejoin Anastasia. Everyone in the lobby—they'd all been waiting around—watched them eagerly. The twins looked to Thanos, who was leaning forward in his seat with anticipation.

"We couldn't help him," Elena said matter of factly. "He's not sick. He's just extremely depressed."

The twins nodded to him, and a sad-looking Anastasia led them out of Vancoor. The spark of hope that had been ignited in the warriors vanished, and with hanging faces, they resumed what they had been doing.

Alicia walked over to Thanos. "Adina told me that she thinks the Chief is heartbroken, that maybe someone he loves was hurt by the orcs he was apparently fighting."

Thanos sighed, slumping down in his chair. "That ain't something I can fix. I don't know how to handle sad people. Looks like for now, we've lost our Chief. Gerald's gonna have to step up until he feels better. If he ever does. Watch the desk for me for a minute."

Without waiting for Alicia to agree, Thanos grabbed all of the papers and stood from the desk, going toward the staircase. He made his way up to the third floor and knocked on the door of the Zweit Squad locker room. Gerald called for him to come in, and Thanos opened the door—but didn't bother to go all the way in.

"What is it, Thanos?" Gerald asked unenthusiastically. Even he was being affected by the gray clouds looming over Vancoor.

"Some Olacion girls just went up to see the Chief."

In that exact moment, Gerald's eyes lit up. But there was no good news.

"They said he ain't sick. One of them thinks he's heartbroken. They both think he's extremely depressed. Looks like you're acting Chief. Here's your paperwork." Thanos tossed the pile of envelopes and papers onto the table, and then left the room. Gerald stared at the papers, feeling both angry and sad at the same time. Taking a deep breath, he stood from the table and left the locker room, jumping up the stairs to the fourth floor. He pounded his fist on the door once to let Jack know he was coming in before opening the door and stepping inside. He closed the door behind him, standing there for a moment and staring at Jack's back. He was in the exact same place as he had been, unmoving. The room was completely silent. Gerald felt the gloom in the room just as the twins had. It was like stepping into a freezer.

Gerald stormed over to stand beside Jack. He grabbed his arm, shaking him in an attempt to get a response out of him. "Hello?!" Gerald yelled. "Chief! You need to _pull yourself together!"_

He practically shoved Jack to the side. He figured Jack would tumble to the ground, but Jack kept his footing. Which meant he was at least partially aware.

"Depressed, huh?" Gerald demanded. "By _what?_ Tell me what happened!"

When Jack didn't reply, Gerald shoved him again, truly believing that this was the only way he could get Jack to respond. Jack, again, didn't fall, but just stumbled back a few steps. He was almost against the wall.

"Say something! Be a man!" Gerald pushed him into the wall, getting angrier. Jack grunted with the impact, but still didn't respond. He slid down the wall onto the floor, sitting against it with his head down. Gerald stared down at him in disbelief. "This isn't you, Chief. This isn't you! Tell me what happened. Tell me what's wrong with you, or I'm gonna _have_ to assume those elves did something to you."

Gerald fell still when he saw a tear running down Jack's cheek from beneath his helm. Regret washed over him, regret that'd he'd resorted to being violent. He knelt down in front of Jack.

"Look, Chief…I'm no good with feelings like this. I don't know how to help you. But the guild needs you. You're our _Chief._ You can't stay up here forever, withering away. Have you eaten anything? Or are you just gonna let yourself die? Are you that sad?"

Jack didn't reply. No more tears fell. He just sat there in silence. Gerald stood up, overtaken with a new sense of hopelessness. He turned and went to the door, leaving the room.

Jack struggled back to his feet, going back toward the window to stare at the castle in his daze. He was shaky on his feet—he almost felt like he was drunk. His whole body was heavy, like he was dragging himself through a thick gel. The only thing in his mind was a memory of smiling Ridley. One of the few memories where she looked at him, loved him, and smiled at him. When she was floating above the Gold Dragon Castle, about to become the Vessel of Quasar. She was looking at him, smiling—she believed it would be the last time she ever saw him. But that was in the moment before Jack sprang forward to accept the dragon in her place.

But it was a sincere, loving smile. And it was stuck in Jack's mind. He couldn't think of anything else. He was deaf to anyone trying to talk to him.

And then his mind was struck with the vivid image of Ridley being struck by the blood orc. A single tear stung his eye, trickling down his face, before his mind returned to the calm memory of her smiling.

That had been happening for the past day. He just stared at the castle, longing to see her. He knew he couldn't go there. There was no way he'd be let in, so he just stared at it. He glanced up at the sun; it was moving across the sky at a visible pace, the clouds flashing around it. They sped out of sight, and new ones formed. The sun descended toward the horizon, and the sky grew dark. The stars came out, and the moon began to rise. It was all going too fast. Jack was locked where he was, staring at it.

It took all his strength to jerk his head away and pull himself out of his distorted daze. He stumbled back, hitting his desk behind him. It was dark outside…it was nighttime. He glanced at his clock; it was past 10 o'clock.

He'd been sucked into another of his wacked-out daydreams, where time passed him like rushing water in a stream. It was getting worse every day. Soon, he feared he'd be completely disconnected from reality. He wondered if it was because it was drawing so close to the end of his reign. It was almost like getting sleepy. He'd been slipping in and out of the dangerous daze all day, and when he was trapped in it, he couldn't comprehend anything around him other than what was in front of him, where his eyes were stuck.

He took a deep breath, but couldn't really breathe well. He inhaled, but felt like he wasn't getting enough air. He decided he needed some fresh air. But he didn't want to be mobbed, which he knew he inevitably would once the guild knew he'd come out of his daze. But he wanted fresh air _before_ that.

An idea popped into his head. One he'd been wanting to try for a long time, but never had. In the corner of his room, he had a personal chest with old belongings tucked away. He walked quietly over to it, kneeling down before it and opening it.

Inside were several old suits of armor he'd been keeping. Among them were some of his favorites from before he obtained the Valiant Mail. Taking up most of the chest was the unmistakable dark Demon Mail. Beside it was the purple and green Plate Armor. Folded neatly beneath the heavy armor was the Alefstrain, and beneath that, his old Wind Garb. And at the very bottom was his handmade tunic, the oldest possession he had. He carefully pulled it out from the bottom of the chest, looking at it. It was considerably worn. It was extremely old. But it looked like it was holding together just fine. It'd been mostly untouched by time, sealed away in the chest for as long as Jack could remember.

He closed the chest, and carried the tunic over to his desk. He stared at it for a long moment, wondering if he should really do what he was about to do.

But he decided he didn't care.

He was confident he wouldn't have any visitors after Gerald's enraged visit. Surely that was the guild's last attempt to bring him back to reality. He was at least confident he should be fine for the moment. So, he pulled off his helm. And piece by piece, he began to remove the Valiant Mail, until all he had left was his black shirt, and tight pants.

He put on his black knit turtleneck on right over his first shirt, along with the red gauntlets that were attached to it. He pulled on the shorts, and buckled on the massive red belt just above them. After the tiny vest was on, he reached down to put on his boots. He looked down at himself. He briefly reminisced on his time as a human. He looked just like he did back then.

And _no_ one would recognize him like this.

He carried all of the pieces of the Valiant Mail over to the treasury door. He figured he wouldn't need to lock the armor away to hide it—he was already positive no one would be coming in anyway. He set it on the floor. He went back into the main room, where the Ancient Axe was sitting on the desk. He figured it was fine where it was, and decided to leave it there.

He faced the door, took a deep breath, and reached for the handle.

He opened it as quietly as he could, stepping out into the hallway. The good thing about the boots that went with the tunic was that they weren't heavy like the Valiant Mail's boots. He could walk silently. He made his way quietly over to the staircase and descended carefully, listening for footsteps. He rounded the corner to the next flight, and made it down to the second floor. He jumped across the hallway to the back door, slowly opening it so as not to alert anyone who may be in the Quarto Squad Locker Room—although he was almost completely sure it _should_ be empty after 10 at night. Caesar occasionally picked random days to stay in the room rather than go to the fountain, and Jack had no clue about the rest of the squad. Any or all of them could be inside.

He stepped outside in the crisp, cool air of the night. He went down the staircase onto the Path of Swords and Wisdom. He looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath. This time, the cool air filled his lungs all the way, and he didn't feel like he was suffocating. A calm filled him from head to toe. He felt better.

He turned to the left and went toward the front of Vancoor. He walked past it and went around to the other side, headed for the path that lead to Vancoor Square. He walked slowly, enjoying the air. He didn't see anyone, and so wasn't completely sure if his plan would work. No one but Wight and a doctor—now both retired—had ever seen his face, so people couldn't _possibly _recognize him.

He stopped when he saw someone in the distance. It was…Ganz? He was just outside the Begin Eatery.

He was waddling along the path, looking upset; his face was dropping, and there were bags under his eyes. He looked extremely disheartened. He was clutching a wrinkly piece of paper in his hands; Jack squinted at it.

And then he remembered! After the brigade was disbanded because of the orc attack, he and Ganz tried to join Vancoor that night, and Ganz failed because of his drinking beforehand.

Jack walked over to the side of Vancoor, standing beside the wall and watching Ganz from a distance. Ganz was staring hard at the paper in his hand, looking anxious. He looked down the side street, stared there for a moment, and then with a deep breath, took off running toward the pub. Jack's eyes followed him. Should he stop him?

Jack tried to think on it. So far, he'd kept Vancoor the same as it was in the previous life, with all the same people in the same positions as they had been in Elwen's Vancoor. Ganz wasn't meant to be in Vancoor—he was meant to join the Void Community after failing Vancoor's test.

But the cycle was already different enough; Jack had kept a lot the same, but he changed things, as well. And he figured…this was something he'd prefer to be changed.

He started toward the side street to follow Ganz. When he turned the corner, he gasped in surprise when Jarvis was there, drunk as hell with a beet red face. He looked loopy, with one eyelid drooping more than the other, and he was hardly standing straight. His whole body was lopsided; he was leaning heavily on his right leg, and he looked ready to topple over in the street at any moment. He looked right at Jack, and frowned.

He reached out and shoved Jack roughly to the side of the path. "Outta the way, shrimp!" he slurred, trying to shuffle past him. He swayed ridiculously as he dragged his feet along the stone, barely able to stay upright. Jack watched him as he went, a massive wave of relief shooting across his body. Jarvis hadn't recognized him.

He turned and went to the door of Carl's Pub, opening and stepping into the dimly lit building. Giske was behind the bar and glanced at him, looking annoyed to see someone who looked so young in his pub. Ganz was at the bar, waiting for his drink. Yuri was standing by the bar, smiling at Jack sweetly. The bar's nighttime regulars were all there: Jasmine, Herz, and Eugene. They were all sitting with their drinks, perfectly content.

"No sales to kids," Giske spat at Jack, who nodded to him. Jack walked over and stood beside Jack.

"You don't need that."

Ganz looked at him, surprised. "I beg your pardon?" His voice was shaky with anxiety.

"You don't need that," Jack repeated. "It'll make you loopy."

Ganz stuttered for a moment, and reached out for the drink Giske had prepared. He stared at it, and then looked back to Jack. "I'm going to join Theater Vancoor tonight. They'll probably have some kind of entry test… I'm a bit nervous. I just wanted a pick-me-up."

"But if you drink that, you might fail the test. You won't do your best."

Ganz looked at the drink again, looking torn.

"Don't drink it. I promise you don't need it," Jack urged.

Ganz looked at it again, and let out a nervous sigh. Eugene beside him was almost finished with his own beer. "If you aren't gonna drink that, pass it over here, man." Ganz took a long moment, and then, looking defeated, slid the beer over to Eugene, who took it with a huge smile. Giske behind the bar let out an exasperated sigh.

"If you're not gonna drink, you can go ahead and move along," he said.

Ganz stood from his stool, and left the bar with Jack following. Outside on the road, he took a deep breath, scratching his head. "Now I have nothing to calm me down."

"Trust me, drinking before your entry test wouldn't be a good idea," Jack promised. "You'll pass the test easy-peasy."

"Are…you a member of the guild?" Ganz asked. To protect his identity, Jack shook his head. "Would you…take the test with me?"

"Uh…no, but I'll walk you to the guild?" Jack offered. Jack couldn't take the test. Even if the members of the guild wouldn't recognize him, he would pass the test without a problem—and then need to be in two places at once as two separate people. Jack didn't feel like dealing with such a huge problem.

Ganz sighed. "That'll be all right, I suppose."

The two started toward Vancoor, walking side by side. For a moment, Jack's mind went fuzzy as he felt himself almost slip back out of reality like he'd been doing all day. He shook his head, trying to stay focused. Ganz looked up at him, looking worried.

"Are you all right, sir?" he asked.

Holding his head, Jack replied, "Yeah, I'm fine! I'm just a bit tired."

"Perhaps I should walk you back to your home, instead…"

"No, it's fine! I promise." He smiled at him. Ganz stared for a moment before letting it go.

Jack felt so _free_ in plain sight! _He loved it!_ He'd need to step out wearing other clothes more often! He wasn't under everyone's watchful eye, able to do whatever he wanted without worrying about spawning new rumors or gossip.

They reached the front door of Theater Vancoor. Ganz stared up at it fearfully, his muscles visibly locking up beneath his round armor. Jack wished he could promise him entry, but that would give away his identity. Even if Ganz still failed, Jack, once back in his Valiant Mail, was going to let him in anyway. He wanted him around.

"I'll just stay loose!" Ganz said as he started to walk toward the door, about as stiff and graceful as a rusted robot. Jack followed him inside. He felt a bit of worry once he was within Thanos' sight. But the gloomy-looking Thanos glanced at them, and dismissed them almost immediately. He didn't recognize Jack, who breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.

Ganz walked over to the desk with the stiffest gait Jack had ever seen.

"Greetings, kind sir!" he said nervously. Thanos glanced up at Ganz and Jack. "I am here to enlist!"

Jack stood behind Ganz, almost feeling bad for him. It was almost embarrassing.

"You're that tubby knight that brought the Chief's axe back yesterday. What do you want?" Thanos demanded. Jack could tell he wasn't in the mood. It seemed like Jack's recent mental coma had put the whole guild in a state of irritability and gloominess.

"I am Captain Ganz Rothschild, formerly of the Rose Cochon brigade… Today I've retired from the Royal Knights and come directly here to apply to your organization." Thanos was staring almost suspiciously—almost hatefully at Ganz, who was trembling with nervousness.

"What about you, kid?" Thanos glanced at Jack.

Jack shook his head. He didn't want to talk for fear of his voice giving away his identity.

"Okay, tubs. Head up to the second floor. You'll be with Sergeant Caesar. Once you're finished with him, you'll head up a floor to see Gerald, our second-in…well, acting Chief."

Acting Chief? Jack didn't realize his mental coma had the guild in such a loop.

Just as he thought about it, his consciousness drifted a bit. He shook his head again to try and keep himself together. Thanos noticed, as did Ganz. "You all right, squirt?"

"Erm, young sir…perhaps you should return home. You don't seem well," Ganz insisted. "Shall I walk you home, and then return?"

But Jack smiled and shook his head, gesturing to Thanos. Ganz turned back to face him.

"Is the test tonight? Right now?"

"We don't have time for hoity-toity knight ceremonies here. Now get your fingers out of your nose and hop to it. No one here is in the mood for this," Thanos said. There was less of a bite to his voice than usual.

"Y-yes sir!" Ganz exclaimed, bolting toward the stairs. Jack watched him go.

"You sure you're fine, squirt?" Thanos asked. "You're looking pretty pale."

"I'm fine," he replied quietly, hoping his voice wouldn't reveal him. But Thanos wasn't suddenly struck by a realization. He just stared at Jack, doubting what he'd said rather than his identity. Jack nodded to Thanos before turning to head back toward the door. "Have a nice night."

"Yeah, uh…you, too," Thanos replied awkwardly. Jack went out the front door back onto the street in front of the guild. He took one last long moment to stand there, breathing in the cool air and relaxing before he turned back down onto the Path of Swords and Wisdom, headed for the guild's back door. He went up the stairs, and placed his ear against the wooden door, listening to see if Ganz was still in the hallway. He heard some movement, and then a door opened, closed, and then all was silent. He waited a few more seconds before he quietly opened the door, stepping inside. He went up the staircase to the third floor, being especially careful not to make a sound out of fear Gerald would hear, and then went up the stairs to the fourth floor. He opened the door, glancing inside to see if anyone was within.

It was empty. Jack slid in and closed the door, taking a deep breath.

He needed to do that more often.

He went to the treasury door, opening it and stepping inside. He began to remove his handmade tunic carefully, hoping it wouldn't rip or come apart. He'd noticed as he wore it that it was particularly worn, and likely at the very end of its life. He definitely wanted to go out more often, and so decided he'd go out and get himself something new. He had plenty more armor in his old chest, but he almost dared to say he _hated_ the Wind Garb, and the Plate Armor, Alefstrain, and Demon Mail would all draw too much attention. He needed something unique to Radiata that wouldn't catch people's eyes. He remembered seeing a blue coat in the Verontier Armory that he'd taken quite a liking to. He wasn't able to get it in the past life because he left the city to join the nonhumans. Why shouldn't he have it this life?

He began to put all of his armor back on, saving his helm for last as usual. He took one last deep breath before pulling it on. He leaned down and picked up his tunic, and went back into his main room. He walked to the chest, opened it, and set the tunic down inside on top of the Demon Mail's breastplate.

On the floor below him, he heard Gerald's war cry—he was ambushing Ganz, no doubt. He didn't hear any crashing, and he didn't hear Ganz rolling around, so he assumed he managed to dodge. Jack walked to his desk and sat down in the chair. The desk was clear of any papers; only the axe was on the desktop. Gerald must have been getting all the papers from Thanos. Jack briefly worried he'd been stuck outside of reality for longer than he thought—but then realized that the Rose Cochon was only disbanded two days after the orc attack. He returned from the City of Flowers the day after. So less than two days had passed.

He heard Gerald's door open below him. He listened to the footsteps getting quieter as they went down the stairs to the training ground on the second floor. Without anything to distract himself, he couldn't help but start to slip away. He shook his head furiously to try and stop it. Finally, in an effort to stay aware, he stood up from his chair, and grabbed his axe, and started swinging it at the air. He was trying desperately to keep away from the looming daze. He didn't want to blank out again.

Time flew past, distorted like usual, before he heard footsteps approaching. They came closer than the third floor. They were coming up higher, toward the fourth floor. It must be Ganz.

But then he heard Gerald's unmistakable voice, as well. "It's tradition for new recruits to meet the Chief," Gerald said. "But our Chief has been out of it since yesterday morning when he returned from the elves. But you would know all about that, wouldn't you? Oh, well. It's hardly worth it to visit him, but hey. It's tradition." Gerald sounded so disheartened. He was in for a surprise.

Jack went back to his chair, leaning his axe against the wall behind him. He sat down in his chair, slumping down with fatigue. He didn't sleep often; since becoming the vessel, his sleep schedule had been altered. But he felt about ready to sleep for a few days straight. Maybe a good hibernation over a few days or maybe a week or so would cure him of his annoying black outs. He'd never had a problem with it before, but maybe it was just happening because he was tired.

The footsteps reached the other side of his door. Gerald knocked once loudly like he had earlier in the day, and then the door creaked open. Gerald stepped inside with a grim look on his face.

But he froze when he saw Jack sitting in the chair, rather than staring out the window in a depressed daze. The dread that had been looming over the room had dissipated. Jack was awake and aware. Gerald gasped.

"Chief?!" he exclaimed.

"Hello, Gerald," Jack replied rather weakly. Now that he'd acknowledged he was tired, the sleepiness was getting worse. He felt ready to pass out any second.

"Chief, you're—!"

"Feeling better, yes."

Ganz's face lit up. "Chief Dragonheart! I am so relieved to see that you are back, and well! I was so worried for your well-being when lord Nogueira said your life was in danger. I hope they took good care of you."

"They did, Sir Ganz. The elves are very kind. Thank you for your concern."

"No, thank _you _for coming to our aid when we were attacked!" Ganz was being overcome with his uncontrolled admiration for Jack once again. Gerald was staring at him. "It was because of your efforts that Lady Ridley was saved. You saved us! I fear that if you had not stepped in, there could have been more, perhaps graver injuries."

"Yes, I know," Jack insisted. He did _not_ want to talk about it. He didn't want to talk about blood orcs, or the attack, or his stay with elves, or about Ridley. "How did Sir Ganz do with the tests, Gerald?"

"Please, it's just Ganz—I am no longer a Royal Knight," Ganz insisted. Jack just nodded to him.

"He just barely passed. He was shaking in his boots. But he didn't run away! I figured he couldn't be much worse than Rolec. I've already told him he was accepted to the guild. I know that's your decision, but I didn't know you were…"

"It's all right," Jack promised. "I'm more than happy to welcome you to our guild, Ganz. We could use you."

"Thank you, sir!" Ganz exclaimed.

Jack recalled the words Elwen said to him the night he joined Vancoor in the previous life. He decided to pass it on to Ganz. It felt right. "A word of wisdom, Ganz."

"Yes, sir?"

"You mustn't wield your sword only for yourself. Remember this: only those who fight to protect another are able to achieve true strength."

The sleep was creeping closer.

"I agree entirely, sir! Wise words! Thank you, sir!" Ganz bowed.

"Welcome to Theater Vancoor. Head back downstairs and speak to Thanos. He'll get you settled in."

Ganz nodded, and turned to leave. He opened the door and stepped out. Gerald looked at Jack for a second, and then went to leave, as well. Jack watched him go. As soon as he was gone, Jack leaned over his desk, resting his head on his arms. He felt sleep coming. He let out a sigh, and his eyes grew too heavy to keep open. He let them close, and within seconds, Jack drifted away into a deep sleep.

Downstairs, Ganz went up to Thanos.

"Come on, I'll show you to your new place. Grab your stuff and follow me." Thanos started toward the door, with Ganz hurrying along behind him.

"Hey, who was that kid who was with you earlier?"

"I don't know. I met him in the pub. He walked with me to the guild, but I'm not sure who he was. I was going to ask you."

"No idea," Thanos replied, shrugging. "I've never seen him before in my life."

"He seemed rather unwell. I wish he'd let me walk him home."

"Yeah, he was looking queasy."

"I hope he is all right, whoever he is. I hope we'll meet again."

"Well…don't count on it. I've never seen him. He must be from out of town."

They continued along the road in silence toward a vacant house in the distance. Little did Ganz know, the boy who stopped him from drinking earlier was of course none other than Jack himself.

And Jack was trapped in the deepest sleep he'd ever had.


	7. Argent Faucon

Ridley could clearly see a second face, just for a flash of a second. The image was lingering in her mind annoyingly, but after it had blurred out, it only continued to get worse the harder she thought about it.

"Lady Ridley?"

The maid was staring down at her, patting her forehead with a rag. "You've still got a bit of a fever. Are you sure you're all right to be up?"

"I'm fine," she insisted. More maids were in the room, preparing a new set of armor. Ridley looked at it for a long moment. It was the armor of a knight captain—why was it being prepared for her? "Who's armor is that?"

"It's yours, my lady," the maid replied. She reached for a paper resting on the table, and held it out to Ridley. Ridley took it and looked at it, wiping the weariness from her eyes. It read in neat script,

_Lady Ridley Silverlake,_

_Due to several violations of the Royal Radiata Knights Charter, the Rose Cochon brigade shall be disbanded. You are hereby promoted to Captain of the newly-formed Argent Faucon brigade, which shall be compromised of existing knights. By order of Salute Larks, Commander-in-Chief._

Ridley's eyes widened. She thought on her brigade—there it was again. A blur, standing beside Ganz. It was a silhouette, almost…so close to being visible. Ridley focused so hard on it, she thought her head might spin off. She couldn't make it out.

"My lady, you seem ill," the maid said worriedly. "Perhaps you should lie back down."

"No, I'm fine!" Ridley exclaimed. "Where is my father?"

"He is in his chambers, I believe." The maid held up her hands to stop Ridley when she stood and tried to head for the infirmary's door. "Wait, Lady Ridley! If you are well enough, then you should change into your captain's armor. You are no longer a trainee."

Ridley looked down at herself. She was still wearing the trainee's armor.

"We will help you right away," the maid said, and the others walked over with the armor. Ridley watched them for a moment, and then sighed. She removed her gauntlets and boots, then pulled off her thick tunic. She continued to remove all the pieces of the trainee armor, while the maids approached with the new pieces as soon as she was exposed. Piece by piece, she began to put on her new armor, starting with the tights—then the dress. The maids quietly helped her with the armor; the gauntlets and breastplate. While they worked to secure everything, Ridley's mind was wandering, trying hopelessly once again to focus on the missing face in her memories.

And where was Ganz now? She hoped he was still in the castle.

The maid buttoned her collar and cape, and everything was finished. Ridley have an absent-minded nod to the maids, who bowed.

"My lady, are you _sure_ you're well enough to be up?" the maid insisted just as Ridley was about to go toward the door. "You sustained a horrible head injury. The elf man healed you, but I'm not sure if you should be up and about just yet."

"I'm _fine,"_ Ridley persisted. She finally went past the maid headed for the door. She opened and went out; the hall was empty. With a fuzzy mind, she started around the perimeter of the castle to find the staircases with the intention of going down to the basement to see if the other Rose Cochon members were still lingering.

She found the staircase and started down to the first floor, still trying to recall who was missing in her mind. It looked a bit clearer for a second, but then it was gone before she could register it. She placed her armored hand on her chest, feeling something stirring inside her. It was a strong, warm feeling, but it didn't stick around for her to figure out what it was. It faded in and out, and when the blurry memory cleared for a second, it ignited. But as soon as the clarity was gone, so, too, was the feeling.

She passed several heavy guardsmen on her trip to the single staircase leading to the basement. One of them sounded like he was snoring, but Ridley didn't care enough to stop and wake him up or check and see if he really was asleep on his job. She couldn't fathom how boring—and _hot_—it must be to stand in a single place indefinitely, unmoving and watching everyone go by with extreme disinterest. She didn't really blame him for falling asleep.

She finally found the staircase, and made her way down into the darker, damper level of the castle. Ridley rather hated anything below the first floor. She'd never had a real reason to go down, but had occasionally wandered there when she was younger. The first floor of the basement wasn't too bad, but she had once gone all the way down to the dungeons in a fit of curiosity. She, as a little girl, had been terrified by one of the men locked in a cell, and had ran back to her father screaming and crying. Jasne had the dungeon watchman fired and banished from the castle in a rage.

Thinking of Jasne, her father, suddenly ignited a fresh anger in her—borderline hatred. She _knew_ the disbanding of the Rose Cochon was his doing. Of course, she knew he'd deny it and try to pass it off onto Lord Larks, but she wasn't going to be fooled.

She went to the trainee room, throwing the door open. Leonard was sitting on a stool, hunched over some papers he didn't look too interested in.

"Jack!" Ridley exclaimed on impulse, looking around the room but seeing no one other than Leonard, who looked up at her with a look of confusion. "Leonard, where's Jack?"

"Lady Ridley!" he said smiling. "You're back on your feet!"

"I asked you where Jack was!" she cried.

But Leonard just looked confused again. "Who's Jack? I don't know any Jack…"

Ridley stared for a moment. "What?"

"There's no one named Jack here…"

"What…what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about? What are _you_ talking about?" Leonard demanded. "Lady Ridley, I don't think you should be out of bed. Let me walk you back to the infirmary."

"No, there was a Jack here!" Ridley practically yelled at Leonard, who stood, looking concerned.

"There's no Jack in the castle," Leonard said. "I don't know any Jack in the entire city. Except maybe the Vancoor Chief…I heard someone say a while back that was his first name."

"Vancoor Chief?" Ridley asked. "His name _is_ Jack. Where is _he?"_

"Uh…not here," Leonard said, glancing around at the messy trainee's room. "Why would you think he's here?"

"I…I don't know." She rubbed her head. "But what happened to him? Do you know? He was there when the orcs attacked."

"Uh…I don't know for sure. Rumor is he was kidnapped by the elves or something."

_"__What?!"_ she cried.

Leonard looked panicked and held up his arms. "Whoa, whoa! It's just a rumor! I don't know exactly what happened. You'd have to ask Ganz, or Lord Cross maybe. They're the only others who were there. But Ganz left the castle last night after the brigade was disbanded. Please, Lady Ridley, let me walk you back to the infirmary."

Ridley groaned and left the room, slamming the door behind her before Leonard could follow. To make sure he didn't catch her if he was following, she broke into a run back for the hallway door, to return back upstairs. She was headed straight up to the fourth floor to see her scum of a father next—maybe if she got lucky, Cross would be wandering around, also.

She stormed past all of the patrolling guards and a few children who looked at her in shock, but she went quickly to her father's door on the fourth floor without stopping. Without knocking, she opened it and went inside. Jasne was over to the side, fussing with things on one of his shelves.

"Father!" she said, grabbing his attention.

He turned quickly. "Ridley? What's wrong? What are you so upset?"

She was speaking on impulse again. "Why did you have the brigade disbanded? Why did you have those two fired!?"

Jasne stared in confusion for a moment, before lowering his head. "What are you talking about? The knights are Lord Lark's responsibility. And I don't know of any second person being fired. The only one who should have been fired was Sir Ganz."

Ridley was flustered for a moment. She'd did it again—put Jack into the picture by impulse. Why did she do that? "Who are you trying to please? Your daughter, or yourself?" she demanded.

"But, my sweet, now you're captain of your own brigade, with the very best knights under your command."

She slammed her fist into the wall angrily. "I never asked for that! It's not what I wanted!"

She was suddenly struck by a nauseous dizzy spell. She leaned over, holding her head. Jasne rushed over in a panic. "Ridley! What's wrong, Ridley?"

She backed away. "Nothing, I'm fine. I'm just…feeling a little dizzy," she said, turning away from her father and going to the door. Without waiting for him to say anything or try to follow her and insist she return to the infirmary, she left the room, going back into the hall and closing the door. She tried going down the hallway, but stumbled to the side into the wall and nearly fell. "Jack…?"

She heard someone rushing down the hallway behind her. "Lady Ridley! Are you all right?"

Ridley looked over her shoulder; it was Natalie, Captain of the Violet Chevre, who was running toward her. She held Ridley's arms, helping her stand up straight.

"Lady Ridley, it's only been three days since your injury…you shouldn't be out of bed!" she urged, pulling her along and trying to lead her down the hallway—probably back to the infirmary. "Please, let me help you back to the infirmary."

"No, I'm fine," Ridley said, trying to resist her. But she was still dizzy, and nearly fell again. Natalie was barely able to catch her.

"You're clearly not fine," Natalie snapped. "You shouldn't be up!"

"Fine! But please…take me to my room, not the infirmary." Natalie nodded to her, and they started down the hallway toward the doors. "Natalie, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Lady Ridley?"

"Was…Ganz the only other knight in my brigade?"

Natalie looked at her worriedly. "Yes. Why?"

"Are you _sure_ there wasn't another?"

"Yes. It was just you and Ganz."

"But…there was someone else. I can almost see him…but his face is blurry. I can't remember him."

Natalie sighed. "Lady Ridley, you're still suffering the effects of your wound. Maybe the orc's strike to your head has messed up your memory."

"What about…Jack? When was Jack ever here?"

"Who's Jack? There's no one named Jack in the castle…or in all of Radiata, I don't think. It's not that big of a city."

"No, there _was_ a Jack!" she cried, shoving Natalie away. She stumbled back against the wall, and Natalie reached out but she swatted her hands away. "He was here! More than once!"

"Who is Jack?"

"The Vancoor Chief," Ridley said. "Jack Dragonheart."

"Oh?" Natalie scratched her head. "I didn't know his name was Jack. I've only ever heard him called Dragonheart. But…he's not here. He's only been here once in a long time, and that was a few days ago."

"No…he's been here before! He was…wasn't he? He lived here."

"No, Lady Ridley. He lives at Theater Vancoor. Why would he have lived here?"

"But he did," she insisted. She thought about the blurry blank space in her memories, and tried to imagine him standing there. It felt right.

And then the silhouette became clear for a long second. She was finally able to see their face; it was indeed a boy, but he looked young, around the same age as her. He had brown hair and eyes, and was wearing the trainee armor. Focused on his face, the warm, fluttery feeling came back to her chest, and she blushed. It was such a beautiful feeling.

It was gone.

Ridley just stood there for a moment dumbfounded, holding her head. That _couldn't_ be Dragonheart. Dragonheart wasn't that young. He was decades old. He'd been around forever.

But imagining him in that place…felt so right.

"If it wasn't Dragonheart, then…" Ridley mumbled. "Who was it?"

"No one!" Natalie cried. "There was no one else! The Rose Cochon was just you and Captain Ganz!"

Ridley felt tears brim over her eyes. She covered her face as she started sobbing.

"Lady Ridley, I'm sorry," Natalie said, walking over to take her arm. "I shouldn't have raised my voice at you. You're not well. Please, you need to rest. Let's keep going."

"Where is Ganz?" Ridley asked.

"He left the castle last night. I'm not sure where he's gone. I can ask around for you, if it would make you feel better."

"Yes, please. I want to talk to him."

Natalie and Ridley went to the staircase and began to head downstairs. They walked together—with Ridley leaning heavily on Natalie—all the way to Ridley's room on the second floor just outside the small tower, where Natalie helped her over to her bed. She sat down, wiping her eyes. She kept thinking about the face she'd finally seen clearly. The young man with brown hair with a cheeky grin, standing next to her. She was terrified she'd forget it.

"Please, lie down. I'll get the doctor," Natalie said, pushing Ridley gently down onto her bed. "Are you uncomfortable in your armor? I can help you take it off."

"No, it's fine," Ridley replied, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Thank you, Natalie."

"Of course. Don't get back out of bed this time, you need to rest. You still haven't recovered. I'll ask around to see if anyone knows where Ganz has gone. Are you sure you're fine here by yourself?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" she insisted, rubbing her forehead.

"Okay, I'll be back soon with the doctor."

Ridley watched Natalie leave the room. It became very silent; she couldn't even hear anything outside the room. No walking, no marching, no kids playing. The only sounds she heard were her own breathing, and a few sobs she choked out as she wiped her eyes again.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ridley reached over and snatched her stuffed Cheshire cat from the edge of her bed and held it close, just trying to relax. She tried to keep the unknown boy's face in her mind for as long as she could, but just as she feared, it started to fade. It was getting harder to focus on it. In a panic, she jumped up from bed and skipped over to her drawers, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil. She went back to her bed, sitting on the edge next to her stuffed cat. Carefully but quickly, she started to sketch out the face that was beginning to disappear from her vision.

She was thankful to have had schooling in the arts squeezed in between her lessons in fencing and etiquette. She wasn't the best at sketching, but she was good enough. She drew the details of the boy's face as closely as she could. She looked hard at it, erased and fixed some parts, but she managed to finish it before the memory vanished completely. She dropped the pencil onto her blankets, and lay back down, staring at the drawing. It was one of the best she'd done.

And looking at the face made the warm feeling come back. She felt like she could stare at it forever. She knew this boy. She'd never seen him, but she knew him.

She just didn't know _how_ she knew him.

It was a long while before there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Ridley called. The door opened quietly, and the doctor came in with Natalie following. Ridley's eyes widened when she saw that behind Natalie, _Cross_ was there, as well.

"Cross!" Ridley exclaimed. Cross smiled at her—but it made Ridley's stomach turn. She hated him.

The doctor went to stand beside the bed. "Hello, Lady Ridley. Lady Natalie says that you're having some trouble remembering things, and you were also dizzy. Are you feeling faint?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "I was a little dizzy upstairs, but it's gone now."

"And your memory?" He tried to look at her paper, but she held it against her chest so he couldn't see it.

"I…I guess it's a little weird," she admitted. "I remember there being _two_ people in my brigade and not just Captain Ganz. But I can't remember the second one. All I remember is that his name was Jack."

"There was no Jack in your brigade."

"Yes, I _know,"_ she snapped, growing irritated.

The doctor sighed. "Well, I think what's best is for you to rest. I'll fetch you some medicine to help you rest. I'll be right back." He bowed his head once to her, again to Natalie and Cross, and then left the room. Ridley looked to Natalie.

"I've brought Lord Cross," she informed her. "He saw what happened to Dragonheart. And I learned from some other knights that apparently, Ganz went to Theater Vancoor after leaving the castle last night. I don't know if he was accepted to their guild, but that's a good place to start. Well, I have to leave. I hope you get better, Lady Ridley."

Natalie bowed and left the room, leaving Ridley alone with Cross, who went to stand beside her bed. "I am glad you're awake, Ridley."

Ridley tried not to frown. "So am I, I suppose."

"Natalie said you wished to ask me about something."

"Yes…at Wind Valley, after I was hit…Dragonheart of Theater Vancoor was there, right? I'm not imagining that?"

"No, he was indeed there. But he was unconscious as well when I arrived."

"He was?" she asked. "What happened to him? Was he hit, too?"

Cross shrugged. "I don't know. I arrived after the orcs were slain."

"Leonard said that there was a rumor around the castle that Dragonheart was kidnapped by elves. Is that true?"

"Indeed," Cross confirmed. "I tried to bring him back with us, but the elf scum insisted he be allowed to take him. He picked up the man and flew off before I could stop him. However, we received word today that he's apparently back at Vancoor. He must have returned sometime within the last few days."

Ridley felt relief wash over her. She honestly doubted Cross' views—she'd met Lord Nogueira herself, and he was kind and gentle. He'd never kidnap Dragonheart. She assumed Cross was just twisting the truth because of his disgustful hatred of anything that wasn't human. "Good…that's good. Thank you, Cross. That's all I wanted to ask you."

He nodded to her, smiling again. He noticed the paper she was clutching to her chest. "What is that you're holding?"

"This?" she asked. "It's…it's just a drawing I did."

"May I see it?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "It's, uh, it's not finished."

Cross chuckled and nodded. "Very well. I await your full recovery." He smiled one last time, and then turned and left the room, leaving Ridley alone once again. She held the drawing back up, looking at the face she'd drawn happily once again.

After a few long moments, Ridley jumped out of bed. She folded the drawing very carefully and wedged it under her belt snugly, and only stopped fussing with it when she was positive it wouldn't fall out. She went to her door and opened it quietly, peeking out into the hallway to make sure there was no one near. Seeing it was clear, she slid out and went to the staircase right beside her door, quickly making her way down. She hoped neither Natalie nor the Doctor had spread the word that she was supposed to be resting.

She went through the halls toward the castle's south gate. She passed a few heavy guardsmen and some knights, none of which tried to stop her. That meant no word had been passed along that she shouldn't be out of bed. They looked at her with surprise and happiness, probably by the fact that she was awake and about. But no one grabbed her or tried to stop her, so she just smiled at them and kept walking.

She reached the castle's south gate and went quickly across it, headed for the open doors where the sunlight was streaming through. She passed through the door, glancing at the heavy guardsmen on either side.

"Lady Ridley?" one asked. She nearly jumped. Don't try to stop her!

"Yes?" she asked, turning to face him.

"You're awake! I'm glad. Where are you going?"

"I'm just going for a little walk. I need some fresh air."

"All right. Have a wonderful walk!"

Ridley smiled genuinely. Nearly all of the heavy guardsmen she'd ever met were kind, considerate, and goofy. And all so sweet.

She went down the hill onto the street, into the Yellow Town. She was headed straight for Theater Vancoor. She passed a few people, who tossed strange looks at her, but she just nodded to them and walked right past them. She was thankful that Vancoor wasn't too far from the castle. She made her away along the path, headed around to the front of the warrior guild. She went up the steps to the door, pulling it open and stepping inside.

Inside, she immediately drew everyone's eye. It was about midday. The lobby was full of people, following their daily routines. As usual, Gareth and Aldo were mumbling to each other through their bucket helmets about what they'd eat for lunch. Alicia was at the desk, talking to an uninterested Thanos about a new mission for her squad. The ever-timid Rolec was skimming around the bulletin board like he always did. Carlos was at the table, slamming his fists on the tabletop, grumbling angrily about a missing contact lens, and how the seat was lopsided.

They all looked at her, and the room fell quiet. She felt a bit uneasy under their stares. Normally, she would have been fine, and not intimidated in the slightest. But it was no lie she wasn't feeling her best. There was still a bit of dizziness lingering, and she had a bit of a headache. She was feeling overall not so good. But she didn't really care.

Everyone's stares were hard. They all honed in on her armor and immediately knew who she was. She was only captained as of the day before, but the warriors in the Vancoor lobby didn't know that. All they knew was that she was a knight captain. But why was she there?

Ridley took a breath, and walked over to Thanos' desk. Alicia took a step to the side to make room for her. Ridley looked down at a cranky-looking Thanos who was glaring up at her.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Can I help you?" he asked, frowning at her.

"I'm looking for someone. Did Ganz Rothschild come here last night?"

"Yeah, he did. He passed the guild's test and joined last night. He's upstairs with his new squad."

"I need to speak to him."

Thanos turned in his seat to glance up at the clock behind the desk. "They should be finished right about now." He stood from his desk and went to the staircase, looking up. "Hey, Ganz! You there?"

Ridley heard a faint reply.

"Someone's here to see you!" Thanos called before turning and returning to the desk. He stared up at Ridley again. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Ridley Silverlake. I was in Ganz's brigade. Um…Has your Chief come back?"

Thanos raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, he's back. What's it to you?"

"He was hurt defending me from blood orcs. Is he okay?"

"What?" Alicia demanded.

"Well, saying he's okay is a bit far-fetched," Thanos replied. Alicia was looking at her form the side, studying her face with great interest. "He hasn't been himself."

"Is he hurt?"

"Nope, don't think so. He's just acting weird."

"Could I talk to him, too?"

"Normally yes, but actually no," Thanos replied. Ridley waited in awkward silence for him to explain why. "He's sleeping. Like a damn rock! No one's been able to wake him up all day. A few people have tried, but he won't budge. You'll have to come back some other time. He had a real rough time yesterday. I guess he's just sleeping it off."

They looked when Ganz—now free of his knight armor and donning a new set—waddled down the steps. He started toward the desk, and his face lit up when he saw Ridley standing there waiting. "Lady Ridley!" He ran the rest of the way. "What are you doing here? I am so glad to see you. And up on your feet!"

"How else would I get here?" she asked smiling. "You've joined Vancoor?"

"Yes! Although it's _quite _different from the Royal Knights. I fear I shall take quite a while to get used to it. But I am happy to see you are recovering! You are not in any pain, are you?"

"No."

"I see from your armor that you've been promoted to captain!"

"Yes, of the Argent Faucon. Although it's not what I wanted," she said sadly. "I'm sorry you were fired, captain. It's my fault."

"No, no! It's not your fault. Besides, it's quite all right. I've found a new place here, and everyone who was hurt is healing. Everything is turning out well."

"You mean Dragonheart, also, right?"

"Yes! I spoke with him last night. He seemed quite exhausted, but any injuries he suffered have been healed by the elves, and he is sleeping quite soundly upstairs"—Ganz chuckled—"even heavier than I! I think he will make a full recovery. And you look to be recovering just fine, as well. Everything is great."

Ridley smiled at him. "Hey, captain…" She reached under her belt to pull out her snugly-tucked drawing. She carefully unfolded it, and held it out to him. "Have you ever seen this boy?"

Ganz took it and looked at it, staring hard for a moment. "Why…yes! Last night."

Ridley's heart skipped a few beats. "Really?! Where?"

Ganz held the drawing up for Thanos to see. "Is this not the young man who accompanied me last night?"

"Yep, that's him, all right," Thanos confirmed.

"Who is he?"

"I don't know," Ganz replied, returning her drawing. She folded it back up and returned it to her belt. "He never gave his name. He seemed rather ill, though. I am still quite worried. I hope he made it home all right."

"Does he live in the city?"

"I've never seen him around," Thanos replied. "Last night was the first time I've ever seen the kid."

Ridley sighed, disheartened. Ganz asked, "How did you come across that drawing, Lady Ridley? How do _you_ know who he is?"

"I _don't_ know who he is. I was hoping you did," she said. "Ever since I woke up, I've been having trouble remembering our brigade. Whenever I think of the Rose Cochon, I don't just see you and me; there's a third person there next to me, but I can't see who it is. I can't see their face. But then just for a moment, I saw it. I drew it as fast as I could because I started to forget it. This is who I saw."

Ganz scratched his head. "Uh…I don't know what to tell you, Lady Ridley. There was no second trainee in our brigade. I saw this boy last night, but never before that, and never in the castle…are you sure you should be out of bed? You seem to be recovering nicely, but maybe you haven't recovered enough for this yet."

Ridley let out an irritated sigh. "I'm fine!"

"Well, the orc did strike you right on your head. It was a full blow. You must be having memory issues because of that. I'm sure it will get better." He tapped her arm reassuringly, smiling brightly at her. "I'm not sure how you've come to see the lad's face without meeting him, but he's real. I will watch out for him!"

"I think his name is Jack," Ridley said. Thanos perked up.

"That's the Chief's first name."

Ridley looked at him. "I know, he's told me. It can't _possibly_ be the same person, could it?"

"Fat chance," Thanos spat. "The Chief's old. Too old to be that kid. I'll give it to you, there were some similarities I noticed when I met the kid. But there's _no_ way."

Ridley knew he was right. Dragonheart had been around longer than anyone could remember. She could only imagine him being a shriveled old man beneath his fancy armor. That would at least explain why he was so short for a grown man. She sighed again, defeated. "You're right," she agreed.

"When did the Chief tell you his name? You've never come here before," Alicia said.

"He's been to the castle."

"When?"

Thanos interjected, "He did go there a few days ago, when he was summoned by the Lord Chamberlain."

"That's when he told me." Ridley frowned at the second half of the whole memory. "He was nice, but then out of nowhere, he was rude."

Thanos let out a hearty laugh, and there was some chuckling from the table in the corner of the room. Ridley looked around at everyone in confusion. Thanos, after recovering from his laugh, said, "Yeah! He can get that way sometimes! He has mood swings like a damn woman, I'm telling you. But he's our Chief and no one can replace him. You'll have to let it go because he ain't gonna apologize!"

He laughed again. Ridley couldn't help but smile.

Her good mood dissipated when suddenly she was struck with another dizzy spell. She nearly fell over, grabbing onto the desk. Alicia grabbed her from behind, and Ganz's face went all out of whack with panic. Thanos stared wide-eyed. Ridley held her head, talking a moment to recover.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I got dizzy."

Alicia was still holding her to make sure she didn't fall. Ganz, face plastered with worry, said, "Lady Ridley, you should return to the castle. You need to rest! You're not well, yet."

"Yes, I know."

"I'll walk you back," Alicia said. "I want to talk to you about something. Thanos, don't think our conversation is over. I'm getting that job, and if you give it to the Hecton Squad, you're gonna get it. No offense, Ganz." She smiled sweetly at him.

"None taken, my lady," he replied. "I wish you a fast recovery, Lady Ridley! Please, do come and visit again when you are well. There are things I wish to talk about! But they can wait. And I'm sure Chief Dragonheart would like to see you, as well."

Ridley nodded to him. Alicia led her to the front door, and they went outside, turning left onto the road leading to the castle. Alicia held one of her arms, catching her when she nearly fell again. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You don't seem well. You said you were hit on the head by a blood orc? You shouldn't be out of bed this soon…"

"I know, but I needed to talk to Ganz," Ridley explained. "When I asked the other knights about the boy in my picture, they all said he wasn't real and made it out like I was crazy…"

"Well, now you know he's real," Alicia said, smiling. "My name is Alicia, by the way. I've heard about you, Lady Ridley!"

"You can just call me Ridley."

"Well, I wanted to ask you. You said that our Chief was hurt defending you from blood orcs, right?"

"Well, that's what I heard. I was knocked unconscious, so I didn't see what happened to him. But he did save me. We just didn't know there was a second orc in the woods."

"He's been acting strangely ever since he came back the day after the attack," Alicia said. "Yesterday, he stood in his room staring at the castle in a daze. He wouldn't talk to anyone or even acknowledge we were there! It was quite scary. We were all so worried about him. But our Deputy Chief Gerald and Ganz went upstairs last night, and they said he was awake. Sounding very weak and tired, but awake! And I guess sometime last night, he went out like a light. He's been sleeping all day."

"Well, that's good," Ridley breathed. "I'm glad he's okay."

"We are, too. Do you know the Chief well?" Alicia prodded.

Ridley shook her head. "No. I only met him for the first time a few days ago."

"Oh! It seems like you've known each other a long time. You know, the morning of the orc attack, he ran out of Vancoor in a panic. I figured when we found out that he was in the attack and had been hurt, that was where he was running to that morning. When your captain brought his axe back to the guild, our Deputy nearly attacked him. It was an awful misunderstanding!" She frowned at the memory. "I suppose he really was running to stop the orc attack."

"But how could he have known about it?" Ridley demanded. She had recovered enough from her dizzy spell to walk on her own, and pulled her arm gently from Alicia's to walk beside her. "We had no idea there were orcs in Nowem, so I don't see how he could've. It doesn't make sense."

"It really doesn't," Alicia sighed. "But our Chief never ceases to amaze us. He really is something special."

"Well, I'd hope he would be, for the amount of insane rumors there are about him."

"Yes, there are quite a few, aren't there?"

"You should hear the ladies talk in the castle," Ridley said with a shiver. "They're all in love with him. But all I see when I try to imagine his face is a wrinkly little old man."

Alicia burst out laughing. "A tiny little old man?"

"Well, he's old, isn't he?" Ridley asked. "He's been around for as long as anyone can remember. He must be so old."

"Yes, I guess that's true. I don't think I could ever see him as a frail old man. But you can see part of his face, and he's not wrinkly. And he's quite strong, if you've ever seen him in battle."

"Yes, I watched him kill a blood orc. I've seen it."

They went up the hill to face the castle's south gate. Nina, one of the knights transferred to the new Argent Faucon brigade, was there, frantically talking to one of the heavy guardsmen with a panicked voice. She looked when she noticed the two women approaching, and gasped sharply at recognizing Ridley.

"Captain!" she exclaimed, running over and taking Ridley's arm. "Captain, we've all been so worried! Everyone is looking for you!"

"I wasn't even gone that long," Ridley snapped.

"When the doctor returned to your room to find you gone, everyone panicked! Lord Jasne is on the verge of tears!"

"Yes, I'm sure he is. Let go of me," she demanded, pulling her arm from Nina's grip.

"Please, Captain, you shouldn't be out of bed! You're not well! Please, come with me."

Ridley turned to face Alicia, and offered her a smile. "Thank you for walking with me, Alicia. Please tell Chief Dragonheart that I'm very grateful for him saving my life."

"Of course, Lady Ridley. It was wonderful to meet you. I hope you'll come visit our guild again. Have a nice day!"

"Nina, let go of me!" Ridley said. Nina was trying to grab onto her arm again to lead her into the castle. "I can walk on my own!" She shook her off again as she started into the gate, where she could see her father pacing in the distance, as usual. She took a deep breath and went to face him.

**(Back at Vancoor)**

Dennis was going up the staircase carefully with an armful of flowers. He was about to turn the corner when Gerald nearly walked into him, headed the opposite direction. He stared at the flowers in Dennis' arm, and chuckled.

"More flowers for Alicia?" he asked. "Some new ones in there, I see."

"No," Dennis replied sheepishly. "These are for the Chief."

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "What does he need flowers for?"

"He seemed to be having a lot of trouble yesterday. The flowers are so he'll get better faster."

"If you say so," Gerald said with a shrug.

"They always make Alicia happy," he said. "They'll help him, too."

Gerald just chuckled, patted Dennis' shoulder, and then went past him. Dennis carried the flowers up the final flight of stairs, headed over to Jack's door. He knocked with his free hand, and then opened the door without waiting for a response. Surely enough, the Chief was still asleep on his desk, his head resting on his folded arms. Dennis carried his flowers over and set them up on the edge of the desk, on the side Jack's head was facing—so when he woke up, that would be what he saw. Dennis tended to them, humming quietly to himself. He fussed with some petals, rearranged some stems, until he was satisfied with it. He turned to look at the Chief curiously, staring down at him. He almost looked dead, were it not for the tiny movement in his shoulders as he breathed.

Dennis leaned over the opposite side of the desk, listening closely. He was definitely breathing. He reached out hesitantly, and shook one of Jack's shoulders. He didn't wake up, so Dennis shook just a bit harder. But Jack was sleeping like a rock, and didn't even stir. Dennis sighed, glancing back to his flowers before turning and headed back for the door. He looked back over his shoulder at Jack one final time, before opening the door and quietly leaving the room.


	8. The Helm

"_Thanos!"_

Thanos flinched at the angry shout, looking to the staircase where Alicia was descending and looking irritated. She stormed over to the desk and slammed her hands down.

"Thanos! You gave the crocogator mission to the Hecton Squad! I told you I wanted that mission for Triton!"

Thanos leaned back in his chair, holding up his arms defensively. "Hey, I just do what the bosses tell me. It's the Deputy Chief's call as long as the Chief is sleeping."

"Did you even _mention_ to the Deputy Chief that I wanted that mission?" she demanded.

"You should've told him yourself!" Thanos exclaimed back. "You're always coming to me when you know it's not my decision! I give out solo work, Alicia, solo work! Besides, Hecton has a new member. They need a mission more than Triton."

Alicia groaned at him angrily, rubbing her forehead. "Triton hasn't had a mission in a long time."

"That's not my fault."

"Thanos!"

"What!" he yelled back at her. "You don't like it, take it up with the Deputy Chief! Get out of my face!"

Alicia grabbed a paper from his desk and threw it up in the air before storming off angrily toward the staircase. She heard Thanos behind her cursing and blaming her irrationality on her being a woman. She was used to his occasional sexist remarks, so she didn't turn back around to go back and fight. She went for the stairs and rushed up to the third floor, banging her fist on the locker room door of Gerald's Zweit squad. She threw the door open, rushing inside. Gerald looked at her, not flustered in the slightest by her rage.

"Deputy Gerald!" she cried. "I wanted the crocogator mission!"

Gerald stared at her. "I didn't know that."

Alicia nearly screamed at Thanos three floors below her. "Thanos and I talked about it _twice_ yesterday!"

"He didn't mention anything."

"Clearly not," Alicia snapped. "Triton hasn't had a mission in forever!"

"Neither has Hecton, and they have a new recruit. I would have given it to you, but I didn't know you wanted it. The Hecton Squad already left on the mission."

Alicia sighed, and left his room. She stood in the hallway fuming for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm down. Rather than going back down to her own locker room, she looked to the other stairs, and decided to go up and check on the Chief instead. She went up and knocked on his door before going in.

She looked to his desk, and was a bit surprised to still see him leaned over on his arms, sleeping.

She walked over curiously. Dennis' flowers were still there, recently tended—he'd been up to see to them after tending the ones in their squad room. Alicia smiled at the flowers, then walked around the desk to stand beside the sleeping Jack. She took his shoulder and shook him gently. "Chief? You're really still sleeping?"

She shook him a bit harder, trying to wake him up. No matter how hard she shook him, he remained still and completely silent. No snoring, and barely any sound of breathing. Alicia stared at him for a moment in disbelief before trying again.

"Chief! Wake up!" She shook him, grabbing both shoulders and trying that, but he still didn't budge. "Wow. You really sleep like a rock."

The door opened and Gerald stepped in. "What are you doing?"

"I came up here to check on the Chief. He's still sleeping! He just _won't_ wake up," Alicia explained. Gerald just shrugged at her. "What? You're not concerned about him, even a little bit?"

"Not for now. The man is sleeping. You're telling me you've never slept a whole day before? I wouldn't believe you even if you did. If he's still tired, let him be. We should just be happy he's out of his depressed episode he was stuck in." He went to leave.

"Yes, I suppose. Wait, Gerald!" she exclaimed, running after him after seeing he'd already left the room. She could hear him headed down the staircase, presumably back to his locker room. "Gerald!"

"What, woman?" he called back.

"Promise you'll give the next mission to Triton!"

"I don't make promises."

"Please, Gerald!"

He span around to face her, and she stopped abruptly to avoid crashing into him. "I _don't_ make promises. But I'll see what I can do. That's all I can offer."

She smiled and let out a satisfied sigh, knowing that was the best she'd get out of Gerald—who continued down the staircase without another word. She headed down behind him, passing his room and headed for her own. She went inside with a sigh, and saw Dennis was again tending his flowers even though she'd seen him in the same spot that morning.

"Dennis! You're watering them again?" she asked, surprised.

"No," he replied. "I added new ones I just found."

Alicia finally noticed the new ones, which were a completely different color and shape from the others carefully organized around them. He was working tirelessly to blend them in with the rest of his arrangement. He always took great care that the entire arrangement was flawless. Alicia walked over and leaned down beside him to examine the new addition.

"Wow, those are _beautiful,"_ she said. "Where did you find those?"

"Septem," he answered simply.

"When did you go to Septem?" she asked, shocked by his answer. He'd gone to Septem and all the way back? When?

"I left earlier this morning, after I finished watering all our flowers. And the Chief's. I just got back."

"Wow, you must have been really going for it to get there and back so quickly."

"Not really. Septem isn't _that_ far." Though Alicia couldn't see his face, she could tell he was smiling at her. He looked in her direction. "I take it we didn't get the crocogator mission."

"No, that ass of a receptionist didn't even mention it to the Deputy that we wanted it," she snapped, already angry again by the thought of it.

"Well, it's not his job," Dennis said weakly.

"What?" she exclaimed. "You're taking his side?"

He waved his hands defensively at her. "It's the truth!"

She sighed loudly at him, and sat at the table.

**(Meanwhile) **

The two warriors trekking along the dirt path of the Tria Region were certainly a noticeable pair. Both armored and carrying heavy weaponry, they drew the looks of everyone they passed. Somehow despite their heavy equipment, they weren't intimidating to those who saw them. The taller man was showing signs of an obvious hangover, and the shorter man was as fat and round as an oversized marble.

Every few minutes or so, Ganz would have to do a quick jog to catch up with his new sergeant Jarvis. Ganz was already panting twenty minutes into their journey around Radiata all the way up north to Elf. Jarvis would glance back every few moments or so, between his inaudible curses. Ganz could catch some of them if he listened hard enough. Jarvis was mostly ranting to himself about Daniel's refusal to take part in the mission, and he would throw the occasional insult at Ganz's weight and inability to keep up.

"Double time, fatty!" Jarvis barked as Ganz jogged to keep up. "Hecton moves fast and I _will_ leave you behind if you fall too far back."

"Yes, sir! I am doing my best, sir!" Ganz replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You ought to lose some weight," Jarvis mumbled, audible enough for him to hear. Ganz sighed to himself. "How in the world were you a knight captain?"

"I'll have you know, when I was captain, I would not make my brigade members _run_ unless there was a need!"

"We aren't running," Jarvis complained. "I am walking at a comfortable speed."

"Hardly!" Ganz panted, jogging again. "You are much taller and thinner than I! Can we not meet in a comfortable middle?"

"I am the sergeant, not you! Daniel has no problem keeping up with my speed. You'll need to adapt."

"But sir!"

"No buts! Do you want to stay in this brigade or not?"

"Yes, sir," Ganz replied, defeated. There was no arguing with this man. Especially when he was not irritable from a hangover! Ganz, beginning to resent his sergeant, continued to struggle keeping up. He stared with great dislike at the back of Jarvis' head, puffing out air. He jogged again.

Suddenly, Jarvis was mumbling rants again. "Speaking of Daniel, the little shit…"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"Nothing!" Jarvis snapped. "I wasn't talking to you, fatty! I was talking to myself. That little shit of a corporal, I'm going to beat his—wait. Wait."

They came to an abrupt stop, with Jarvis honed in on something in the distance. Ganz tried to see around him.

"What is it, sir?"

"There's a skullhead. Just around this bend."

"A what?"

"A _skullhead,_ you dumb knight wannabe. Have you never left the city?"

Ganz's anger was getting worse. "I'll have you _know_, sir, I have left the city plenty of times! I have even met a blood orc in battle—"

"Yeah, a blood orc that nearly killed you and wacked out our Chief. Doubt you did much in _that_ battle. Now shush. We're going to ambush it." He started to creep forward, readying his sword the Fathmil. Once he was on the move, Ganz finally saw the enemy that Jarvis spoke of. He had indeed encountered one before, he just hadn't known its name. It was a massive turtle inside a giant skull, which could breathe out a particular nasty stream of fire. As soon as the beast turned around to face the opposite direction, Jarvis let out a war cry and charged it. It turned around to face him before he could even land a single strike on it.

Some ambush.

Ganz rushed forward to aid his sergeant in battle, pulling out his massive sword. The skullhead's full attention was focused on Jarvis, who was attacking its head. So, Ganz ran around to its rear to attack from behind. After landing a few hits, the beast span around quicker than Ganz could react, and released a spout of fire from its mouth. Ganz fell back, rolling away from the fire before scrambling back to his feet. The beast resumed attacking Jarvis, angrily spewing fire toward him. Jarvis was too sluggish to escape its attack. His tunic caught on fire, and he started rushing around trying to douse it, jumping from the pain. With Jarvis beyond its reach, it turned its attention back to Ganz, who readied to defend himself. He continued to struggle in the battle, with Jarvis attacking from the rear—until finally, one forceful hit to the skullhead's face finished the battle. The skullhead fell to the ground in a cloud of dust, still as stone. Ganz stood their panting, while Jarvis walked over to stand beside him.

"Not bad, fatty," he said, with significantly less hostility than before. "Keep this up and I may have underestimated you."

"You cannot reach that conclusion from this battle alone?" Ganz demanded.

"You might have gotten lucky! Come on, fatty, we've got to keep on. We've got a long way to the Elf lands." Jarvis started walking ahead along the road, and already Ganz was jogging to keep up.

"Why must we take the long way around?" Ganz questioned. "We could not pass through Fort Helencia?"

"The guild doesn't have permission to pass through the fort unless we're on a mission with the knights. Which we are not."

"I may have been able to get us passage."

"Too late now. You need to lose weight, anyway."

They continued on that way along the road, killing all hostile beasts as they passed. They worked semi-well as a team, never struggling to much to defeat any skullheads or willows. However, Jarvis didn't quite respect Ganz's abilities, and Ganz could sense it. The tension between the two prevented them from working well as a team. They finally entered the forests of the Nowem region, where it was fall-time year round. While Jarvis charged forward at his ridiculous walking pace, Ganz was distracted, looking up into the trees and watching the red leaves fall.

"I wonder how Lord Nogueira is doing," he asked himself.

"Hey!" Jarvis called from well ahead of him. "Remember when I said I would leave you behind?"

Ganz sprinted to catch up with Jarvis, who continued on.

"May I ask you some questions, sir?" Ganz asked curiously.

"Depends on what they are," he replied.

"Well, I have always been curious about your guild, and of course your Chief. I idolize Chief Dragonheart very much, and have my whole life. What can you tell me about him?"

"Huh?" Jarvis grumbled. "What can I tell you? I dunno. He has mood swings. What kind of answer are you looking for?"

"What kind of life does he live?"

"He's the Chief of the warrior guild. Again…what kind of answer are you looking for?"

"Have you seen him in battle?"

"Now, that you mention it, I don't think I have."

"I would love to get to know him better. What do you know of the rumors about him?"

"The rumors, huh?" Jarvis slowed his pace a little. They were already nearing the exit of the Nowem region, where they'd cross the ravine into the Cuatour region. "I know there are a lot of them. Some of them are ridiculous if you ask me. I have no solid proof that any are true, if that's what you're curious about. If you ask me, I think that the Chief isn't a single person, but several."

"I beg your pardon?" Ganz asked, surprised. "How so?"

"People claim that the Chief has been around as long as anyone can remember. From the parts of his skin you can see, he obviously isn't that old. I'd bet you money that as the Chief gets older, he chooses a younger man to secretly replace him. I bet it's been going on like that for decades."

Ganz's eyes were wide with wonder. He fell silent, thinking to himself on Jarvis' theory. It made perfect sense!

"Not that it bothers me, of course," Jarvis added. "It's none of my business. The Chief is the Chief. I respect the man like no one else in the city. We all do. You better do the same, fatty."

"Believe me, sir, I do! I have respected him for years, and my beliefs were only solidified when I saw him in battle against the blood orc. He killed the blood orc like it was merely a dog, nothing more. I have never seen a man more powerful."

They reached the massive fallen tree, and carefully climbed the rocks on its side to reach the top. They crossed the ravine, headed down from the log onto the dirt road in the Cuatour region. They continued along their way, fighting hostile animals, until Fort Helencia was within sight. They looked at it as they passed; neither said anything, but continued along the road toward the Elf region. It was a straight shot, and they met minimal resistance the rest of the way. A few wolves, but that was the worst. Finally, the yellow grass turned into lush bushes and swamp. The Elf region.

"You've been here before, right fatty?" Jarvis inquired.

"Please, sir, address me by my name!" Ganz complained.

"Answer my question, private!"

"Yes, sir, I travelled to this region with my knight squad, in an attempt to communicate with the light elves."

"Where would you say there would be a crocogator?"

"Furthest north, the road goes into the river. They are likely there, bathing in the waters."

Jarvis heeded Ganz's advice and led the way along the path. Within minutes, Genius' house came into sight. The two teamed up on a pesky gobpakken, killing it with ease. They continued up the hill to pass the small hut. Ganz stared through the window curiously, but he didn't see Genius within, and he wasn't outside. Ganz couldn't help but wonder what he was up to, as well. Jarvis was well ahead of him once again, and he jogged to catch up.

They continued along the road through the crack in the rock, emerging from the other side. Finally, they came to the crevice behind the waterfall—the entrance to the City of Flowers. Again, Ganz was distracted. He didn't stray from the road, careful not to get too close to the entrance and provoke its light elf guards. He stopped completely, and Jarvis kept on going. Ganz stared into the darkness of the crevice, tempted to approach it, if only to speak to its guards.

"I see one!" Jarvis called back from a bit further ahead. "Hey, fatty—hey! What are you doing?" He stormed back toward his private angrily, shoving him in an attempt to pull him out of his apparent trance. Ganz stared up at him in surprise. "It's a crack in the wall, fatty. Are you gonna help me with this mission, or not? I have no problems taking all the pay for myself."

"Sorry, sir, I was distracted. You've seen a crocogator?"

"Yes, up there in the water like you said. Let's get it. I'm hungry."

Jarvis turned and went back the way he came, headed for the river with Ganz in tow. They both readied their swords, thankful that the beast wasn't facing them. Much like the skullhead back in Tria, they attacked quickly—this time quietly! Jarvis once again went straight for the beast's face while Ganz ran around to its side. They attacked together, and the reptile was confused. It focused mostly on Jarvis, who of course was right in front of its face. It chomped at him, although Jarvis was under enough of an adrenaline rush to avoid its bites, despite his hangover. Ganz was comfortably attacking its side, safe from direct attacks. He aimed at its back leg, hoping to immobilize it. He managed to put a deep slash on its thigh, causing it to let out a pained roar. Near the same time, Jarvis cracked it on the skull with the hilt of his sword, making it dizzy. Both disoriented and wounded, it fell onto its size. Jarvis continued bashing its head while Ganz went for the tummy. With it immobilized on its side, it wasn't hard to finish off. With the final blow, it turned onto its back, going stiff.

Jarvis, panting heavily, waded over to Ganz. "Not bad. I've underestimated you. Nice job. Let's get the hide and head back." With his sword in hand, he went for the stomach to get a piece of hide to present to Anastasia. Ganz turned back to stare at the distant waterfall, where he knew the City of Flowers was concealed. Surely on the way back, Jarvis would allow him some time to approach…they weren't in a hurry.

"All right, I've got it," Jarvis said, flaunting the thigh-sized piece of hide. "Let's head out!"

They waded through the water back to the road, following it back the way they came. In a few minutes, they were in front of the crevice behind the waterfall once again. Ganz slowed to a stop, and a few seconds later, Jarvis came back.

"Listen, fatty, I don't know what your obsession is with this crack in the rock, but I'm getting' real sick of it."

"Don't you know, sir?" Ganz asked, looking up at him. "This is the entrance to the City of Flowers, where the Chief was cared for a few nights ago. I'd like to speak with them, only for a moment. You may go on without me if you wish. I will meet you back in the city."

Without waiting for a reply from the visibly surprised Jarvis, Ganz took a few steps closer to the crevice, going off the road into the water. When he drew too close, finally two shadows were cast over him as two light elves descended from high above the ground. They floated down, looking angry and staring at the two hatefully. Ganz recognized them—they were undoubtedly the two elves who had stopped their entry when he was a knight, trying to enter with the aid of Genius.

Fan and Shin looked less than thrilled to see the two humans standing there. Shin was visibly angrier, and exclaimed, _"You_ again! Why did you come back?"

"Was our threat not clear the last time?" Fan hissed.

"Please, I have no desire to enter your city, friends," Ganz said with a smile. "I wish only to ask you a question or two."

"We have no time to answer your questions, human," Shin spat. "We're busy. Move along!"

"Please, just a minute or two of your time, and I will be on my way."

Shin wasn't having it, but Fan looked less intolerant and more curious.

Ganz took Fan's hesitation to threaten him as permission to ask his question, and, looking directly at her, he said, "A few days ago, Lord Nogueira of the Forest Metropolis brought our Chief here to be healed from injuries sustained during a battle with some blood orcs. I am curious as to what his injuries were. Was he terribly hurt?"

Shin looked ready to threaten them again, but after thinking about what Ganz had said, he was quiet. Fan replied, "He wasn't hurt by the orcs at all, he hurt _himself_. We didn't heal him. We just gave him time and a safe place to recover. And we returned him without harm, so what's the problem?"

"I promise there is no problem. I am not here with hostile intentions, only innocent questions. How did he hurt himself?"

"You were there, weren't you?" Shin demanded. "You saw exactly what happened."

"I did see it, but I did not understand it. Will you not explain?"

"It's none of your business. Why should we reveal his secrets to you?"

Jarvis charged forward, alerting the light elves who readied themselves to fight him. However, he didn't attack. "Who are _you_ to say that to us, like you know him better?" Jarvis demanded angrily.

"Shut up, human!" Shin yelled. "Don't talk about him!"

"You're acting like _you _are the ones here who know him! He's our leader, not yours. He's a human!"

Shin laughed once at him, and spit at him. "Once he returns to us where he belongs, you'll be put in your place, human. When the time comes, you'll be the one under his axe, not me."

"Shin!" Fan exclaimed.

Jarvis and Ganz were both staring in shock at the elf's angry outburst. They were both hostile now, even the previously-calm Fan. They stared at the two.

Shin yelled, "Move along, humans!" The elves drew their weapons, threatening them. Jarvis went to draw his in retaliation, but Ganz quickly pulled him out of the water and back onto the road. Jarvis struggled against him for a moment.

"We're leaving! We don't want any trouble," Ganz insisted, pulling Jarvis down the road with him. Shin and Fan stayed ready to fight until the two humans were a fair distance away. Quickly, the ascended back over the waterfall.

Jarvis yanked his arm free of Ganz's grip. "Let me go, fatty!" He took a few steps away, and turned back toward the city entrance.

"No! They will kill you! You are severely outmatched, sir," Ganz insisted.

"How dare they speak that way of our Chief! Who are they to say he will turn against us?! Talking about him like they know him."

"Let us return to the city, sir!" Ganz cried. "Leave them be!"

Jarvis let out an exasperated sigh before storming past Ganz back toward Radiata. Ganz, deep in thought, followed behind him. For a while, he didn't try to keep up with Jarvis, who was walking even faster than before. Finally, realizing how far behind he was, he ran to catch up.

**(Later, back in Radiata)**

"I'll never ever hunt crocogators! No matter how many times you ask! I won't do it even you fire me! Try it and see!" Daniel took off running down the street, turning and headed for Vancoor Square.

"Boy, the kid is pretty ticked off," Jarvis grumbled.

"I understand what he is feeling. I believe I'd feel the same way," Ganz said.

"Anyway. The squad mission is done. That'll be all for today. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! It was an honor!" Ganz said, standing up straight and giving a salute. Jarvis rolled his eyes and turned to head for the bar, grumbling angrily to himself about the encounter with the elves. Ganz watched him go before headed through the door into the guild. Thanos was sitting at the desk, looking uninterested in the activities around him. Ganz waddled his way up to the desk.

"Welcome back, tubs," Thanos greeted, shuffling through some papers. "How'd it go?"

"We were able to retrieve the hide, although the client unfortunately was not very fond of it," Ganz replied.

Thanos chuckled. "Lady Anastasia never is."

"Tell me, sir, has the Chief woken up?"

"Not that I know of," he said. "I think he's still up there sleeping like a rock. Haven't seen him come down and haven't heard that he's awake." Thanos shrugged. "You can go up and check, but he's probably still out."

Ganz nodded to him. "Thank you, sir!"

"Stop calling me sir, dammit," Thanos spat at him. Ganz ignored him and made his way toward the staircase, where he climbed all the way to the top, passing all of the locker rooms and headed straight for the Chief's office. Standing outside the door, he debated going in. He wanted to know exactly what Shin had meant. The moments dragged on, and he didn't find the strength to knock.

"What did the elf mean?" he asked himself. "When the time comes, we will be under the Chief's axe, not them…what on earth could that even mean?"

Halfway down the flight of stairs, David was standing there in silence. "What?" he mumbled to himself.

Ganz shook his hands to try and get rid of his nervousness. "The Chief wouldn't betray us…the elves had to be lying."

"The elves said…" David said quietly before turning and going back down the staircase carefully and quietly, trying to avoid attracting Ganz's attention.

Finally, Ganz reached out and knocked on Jack's door. He waited a moment, and when there was no reply, he tried again. He was met with only silence. In a fit of bravery, he opened the door and waddled inside quietly. Surely enough, Jack was still asleep, leaned over his desk. Ganz carefully approached, going to stand beside his chair. He reached out, and shook Jack lightly. Jack showed no signs of waking, and the room was dead silent.

"Are you human, Chief?" Ganz asked aloud, knowing he would receive no reply. "No one has ever seen your face, so no one knows the truth…"

Ganz took a deep breath, and reached out. He ran his finger along the edge of Jack's lizard-like helm, feeling its surreal surface. It sent shivers down Ganz's spine. It even _felt_ strange. He leaned in close, admiring the helm up close. It's chartreuse color was beautiful, seeming to shimmer even in the dim light of the office. Placing his hand on Jack's back, Ganz could feel the slight movement of his peaceful breathing.

"Are you human?" he asked again.

He slowly reached up for the helm.


	9. Unrest Stirring

**I rewrote this chapter. For anyone who has read the original already, I added notes at the end of the changes I made. Otherwise ignore and enjoy the chapter. **

"_Thanos!"_

Thanos was getting sick and tired of people angrily storming down the stairs screeching his name like an angry cat. He buried his face in his hands with a loud sigh, readying himself to be yelled at for whatever reason. He recognized this voice; it wasn't Alicia, who he was okay with dealing with. This time it was the Deputy Chief. What had he done to warrant _this_ angry visit?

Gerald reached the bottom of the staircase and stormed over to the guild's front desk, where Thanos was shrinking in his seat. "Thanos. What is all this about?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked in response.

"Don't play dumb."

"Sorry, deputy, I've got _no_ clue what you're mad about. You'll have to fill me in if you want answers about it."

Gerald leaned in close, frowning deeply. "The rumor," he hissed. "About the Chief."

"What rumor?"

"Don't. Play. Dumb.'

Thanos sighed. "Look, it wasn't me. I didn't start it."

"_Who did?"_

"How should I know? No one even said it to my face. I heard Rolec mumbling about it over by the bulletin board."

"How far through the guild has it spread?" Gerald demanded.

"Can't say for sure. Probably everyone has heard it. It's probably outside the guild already, a rumor like this one."

Gerald smacked the desk and cursed loudly. "Tell me you don't seriously believe it, Thanos."

"No, I don't. Of course not. But there are some others who I think do."

"How _anyone_ could believe such a groundless rumor is beyond me. They're lucky I'm not the Chief, because they'd all be fired. Actually, I ought to fire them, since technically I _am_ acting Chief."

"Don't get hasty, Deputy," Thanos urged. "It's a shit rumor, and everyone will realize it within time."

Gerald threw some of Thanos' papers to the floor—earning furious rants from Thanos about everyone resorting to throwing his papers when they were angry—before he turned and stormed toward the staircase. He bounded up the stairs two at a time to the second floor, where he barged into the locker room of Caesar's Quarto Squad. Caesar was at the table, and wasn't surprised in the slightest by Gerald's unannounced entry. He was leaned over his table, looking disturbed.

"I take it you've heard it, too," Gerald assumed aloud.

"Of course," Caesar replied simply. "It's outrageous."

"How am I the last to have heard it?"

"Well, I assume because no one wanted to be the target of your current outrage. I didn't hear it directly, either. I merely heard Aldo and Gareth speaking of it."

"Even your men are talking about it? Do you think this rumor has gone beyond the guild?"

"Well beyond, I fear. Something must be done. In addition with the rest of the rumors about our Chief, I fear many in the city will think too literally of this new rumor. People may quickly turn against him. Knights may soon knock on our doors."

"I can't believe how easily people in Vancoor have taken to this bullshit," Gerald ranted, sitting in the chair across from Caesar. "How can we stop this rumor?"

"With the Chief still asleep, I fear there is little we can do. If we were to speak in his place, who's to say we were not merely covering for him?"

Gerald cursed loudly once more. "We need to find the one who started this rumor and have them say it's just bullshit. Who do you think it was?"

"We have no way of knowing. We must ask around, I suppose. I will ask people kindly. I assume you will be threatening them. Surely we can find who started it, working together."

"Who can we rule out as the source?"

"I doubt that the Triton or Quintom Squads had any involvement. Of course, neither of our squads, as well. That rules out more than half of the guild, at least. That only leaves Hecton and Septimo, as well as the warriors with no squads like Carlos and Rolec. I doubt Rolec was involved, however. That leaves us with only a few to question."

"David, Jarvis, Ganz—I doubt it was Daniel—also Bruce, Star and Sebastian, and Carlos. I've already spoken to Thanos."

"Shall we get started then?" Caesar stood from his chair, and Gerald followed. "I will seek out David, Carlos, and Bruce. Will you question the others?"

"Hecton, Star, and Sebastian. Got it."

They both made for the door. They walked together to the first floor before breaking off. It was around noon, so Gerald knew the Hecton Squad would be assembled in their locker room on the basement floor. He turned right to head for the staircase, while Caesar went for the guild's front door; Carlos, his first target, would be at the Begin Eatery having lunch. They nodded to each other before going out of sight of one another. Gerald continued downstairs to the first floor basement, turning right and headed for the Hecton Squad's locker room at the end of the hallway. He knocked on the door loudly to announce his arrival, before hearing a barely-audible confused-sounding reply. He opened the door and stepped inside.

Jarvis and Daniel were at the table, but the new recruit was nowhere to be seen. Gerald stared at the two of them with a hard, unforgiving gaze.

"Hello, men," he greeted. Jarvis stood to meet him.

"Hello, Deputy. What brings you down here?"

"Unfortunately, it's nothing good." He was in a terrible mood. "Somehow—overnight, it seems—an awful new rumor has spread around the guild. Something about our Chief possibly betraying us to join the elves?"

Daniel was shocked, but Jarvis gulped and avoided his gaze. Gerald immediately picked up on the mood change, and took a step closer to him with his arms crossed. "You're looking guilty, Jarvis. Cough it up."

"It happened on Hecton's mission to get the crocogator skin," he admitted. Gerald was relieved that he wasn't going to put up a fight. "Ganz knew where the entrance to the City of Flowers was, so he went up and talked to some elves. We had a fight, and one of the elves claimed that 'when the Chief returned to them where he belonged, we'd be the ones under his axe, not them.' I thought it was bullshit and groundless, so I didn't think anything of it—I assumed it was just the elf trying to threaten us. I swear I didn't say anything about it to anyone."

Gerald turned his threatening gaze toward Daniel, who shrunk in his seat. "I wasn't even on the mission, Deputy Gerald! I refused to go! It wasn't me!"

Gerald looked to Jarvis for confirmation. Jarvis spoke up in Daniel's defense, "He's telling the truth. Only the new guy and I went on the mission."

"So it was the new guy who started the rumors?" Gerald demanded angrily.

"I don't see why he would parade around telling anyone about it," Jarvis said. "I doubt it was him. But maybe. I don't know the man too well, I suppose."

"Where is he?"

Jarvis and Daniel both shrugged. Daniel mentioned, "I saw him headed upstairs earlier. I haven't seen him since, though."

"Jarvis, I'm glad to hear you agree that the rumor is bullshit," Gerald said. "Daniel, I assume you think the same." Daniel quickly nodded.

"I know the Chief isn't like that!"

"Good. Listen, men, we need to get rid of this rumor. We think it's already gone well beyond our guild, and we need to do our best to make sure that the people of the city don't actually believe it. We don't want an uprising against our Chief."

Jarvis and Daniel both nodded.

"If it was your squad that heard the rumor originally from the elves, I can only assume that it was your new recruit who started all this. I'll need you to take responsibility and help us put this rumor to rest."

"Of course, Deputy," Jarvis agreed. "I know it makes no sense. I didn't even realize it had spread."

"Do what you can," Gerald ordered, turning for the door. He went out, and immediately headed for the staircase to go upstairs, remembering that Daniel had claimed he'd seen Ganz headed upstairs. He jumped up the staircases all the way to the fourth floor, where he stood to face the Chief's door. He took a second, standing in silence, before he banged his fist on the door to announce his arrival. He didn't wait for a reply; he opened the door, and went to step in.

Ganz was beside the desk where Jack was sleeping, mid-reaching for the Chief's helm.

"Hey!" Gerald exclaimed. Ganz jumped with alarm, looking at Gerald wide-eyed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I've done nothing, sir, I swear!" Ganz cried, holding up his hands. Gerald stormed over, yanking Ganz away from Jack. "I swear, I haven't done anything."

"What were you _going_ to do?" he demanded furiously.

"To tell you the truth, sir, since last night I've tried several times to remove his helm, but I just cannot find the bravery to do so. It was merely curiosity, and I know it was wrong. I am sorry." His eyebrows fell, and his huge round eyes were full of regret.

"Don't apologize to me, I'm not the one whose privacy you were about to invade!"

They both looked in shock when suddenly, Jack stirred. He let out a weak moan, before stretching his arms out over the desk. He was still for a moment; finally, though he didn't move again, they heard his voice come quietly through his helm, "Why are you being so loud?"

"Chief?" Gerald asked, shoving Ganz out of the way to lean in close to Jack. "Are you awake?"

"I am _now,"_ he mumbled back. He stretched again, leaning up with a groan. He reached up above his head. After stretching for a few seconds, he fell back down onto his desk, curling his arms around his head. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days, Chief," Gerald answered. "How do you feel?"

"Pissed at you for yelling in my office when I'm sleeping," Jack spat before yawning. Gerald couldn't help but chuckle. Jack finally sat up, leaning against the back of his chair. "What are you yelling at, anyway?"

Gerald glared at Ganz, who was silent. "Ganz will explain later."

Jack shrugged, and stretched again. "What's happened since I've been asleep?"

Gerald was at a loss for words. "Well, uh…"

"Spit it out, Gerald."

"There's a bit of a problem. A big one."

Jack sighed. Of course this kind of thing would come up when he was asleep and unable to deal with it. "And what's the big problem?"

"Well, it seems someone started a nasty rumor about you last night," Gerald replied, shooting another nasty glare at Ganz. "It's spread beyond the guild, and it's not good."

Jack's heart stopped. "What's the rumor?" He stood up from his chair to face Gerald.

"Someone apparently has said that some elves claimed you'd betray us and join them. It's spread like wildfire."

Jack was immediately furious. _"What?"_

"Caesar and I are doing our best to find the source. Actually, I have some solid proof it was the new recruit, right here," Gerald reported, stepping aside to reveal Ganz behind him. Ganz stared up at the furious Jack with fearful eyes.

"Wait, Chief Dragonheart! I am the one who heard the elves say that, but I have told no one! I swear!" he cried.

"If it wasn't you, then who?" Gerald shouted. "Jarvis swore the same!" Jack was inching closer to Ganz.

"Someone must have heard me speaking to myself about it last night!" Ganz hurriedly explained. "I told no one! That must be what happened!"

Jack took a deep breath, and fell back into his chair, resting his helm in the palms of his hands. This was a huge mess. He couldn't believe there were people in his own guild taking the rumor seriously. He knew that people in the city would believe it without even questioning it. It only added to the rumors about his dragonhood, and made sense, as well. It was a _huge_ mess.

"Have my years of service to Radiata proven nothing?" Jack asked hatefully. "Those damn elves are always assuming things. And to think members of my own guild would think this rumor truthful. Perhaps I do not know everyone as well as I thought I did."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Chief," Gerald said. "Caesar and I have ruled out several squads worth of warriors in the guild from being involved in this rumor. It would seem Hecton learned of the rumor originally, but Jarvis and Daniel have expressed complete faith in you. There are very few people we think to have anything to do with this. Carlos, Star and Sebastian, Bruce, and David are the ones we have yet to question about it. Caesar is seeking them out now."

"It doesn't matter who in the guild started it, a rumor like this will have already spread across the entire city. Probably into the castle, as well. I want to know who started it."

Gerald glared at Ganz.

"It wasn't me!" Ganz cried.

"I don't think it was him," Jack confirmed. "I believe him. I think he was right, someone must have overheard him. I'll bet it was David."

"David?" Gerald asked.

"Of everyone you listed, it was him."

"Caesar was looking for him. If it was him, Caesar will find out."

Jack rested his head on his hands again, letting out a deep sigh. "It doesn't matter at this point. No doubt the rumor is everywhere and the people of the city will believe it no matter what I or anyone else says."

"You're just going to let it run wild?"

"What can I do about it?" he asked. "If I say it's a lie, I'm probably lying; there's a revolt against me. If I agree, I'm a traitor and a danger to the city; there's a revolt against me. If my guild members deny it, they're defending me and are therefore also traitors; there's a revolt against the entire guild. Take your pick."

"There must be some way to prove it," Gerald insisted.

"How can you prove an intention? I could prove some of the other rumors wrong, sure. I don't actually have golden eyes! Here, take a look. I take off my helmet and everyone is disappointed to see that they're actually brown. But how can I prove whether I intend to _do_ something or not? I'm not going to betray the city, but only time will tell. Guess you'll have to trust me." Jack was getting angrier and angrier. "There is nothing I can do to prove this rumor wrong."

"The one who started the rumor can deny it."

Ganz stepped forward. "I'm sure the castle will support you," he said. "Lord Larks will certainly plead your innocence. You have worked with him so often. You're on good terms, are you not?"

"That's true, Chief," Gerald said, crossing his arms. "Will there be a revolt against the _castle_ for supporting a traitor, as well? At what point does the rumor become what it is and the idea of a revolt fade away as it should?"

"With this rumor out there, the idea of a revolt will be a constant thought I have, unfortunately, no matter what the castle does."

"You know that if there _is_ a revolt, I will stand with you," Gerald declared. "As will most of the guild, I'm sure."

"I appreciate the thought, but if there was a revolt, I'll just leave," Jack said. "If the people would revolt against me for a rumor, then might as well make the rumor true. I'm sick of walking on such thin ice."

"Don't say that outside of this room," Gerald warned. "Or the rumor will be worse. Then the revolt will be real."

There was a knock on the door, and they all stared at the door for a moment in silence. Gerald and Ganz were silent, and Jack finally called out permission for the person to enter. The door cracked open, and Alicia stepped inside. She saw that Jack was awake, and her face lit up.

"Chief!" she exclaimed happily. "You're finally awake! I was worried. You have a visitor."

Jack noticed there was someone behind her. She stepped to the side to allow them entry. With Alicia out of the way and the door wide open, Jack could then clearly see that it was a heavy guardsman. Jack let out a furious sigh, and watched him stomp to the desk. His armor clanked heavily and his footsteps shook the floor of the office.

"Chief Dragonheart," he announced, holding out a letter to Jack. "You are summoned by Salute Larks, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Radiata Knights."

Jack snatched the letter and tore it open.

The letter read,

"_Dearest Chief Dragonheart,_

_A disturbing rumor has just made its way into Radiata Castle. I would like to summon you to my private chambers in the castle to speak about this rumor. There is nothing to fear; I merely wish to speak to you about how this rumor came to be and how we can resolve it. Please make your way to the castle as soon as you are able. If you are still sleeping, please come once you have awakened. I am patient. I will wait for you._

_Sincerely, _

_Salute Larks, Commander-in-Chief of the Radiata Knights._

Jack sighed and set the letter down on the desktop. He looked up to the guardsman. "Thank you." The guardsman gave a nod, span on his heel, and marched out of the room.

"What does it say, Chief?" Gerald demanded.

"Exactly what the guardsman said. I'm summoned to the castle to speak with Larks," Jack snapped. "It's not a hostile letter, at least."

"I am sure Lord Larks wishes to resolve this problem!" Ganz said faithfully. "Go to the castle to meet with him! I know in my heart he will support you! The castle will help to lay this rumor to rest. There are more knights who idolize you than there are who fear you, Chief. Please take my word for it. I was a knight, so I know their character!"

"Yes, thank you, Ganz," Jack said with an agitated sigh. He wasn't in the mood for Ganz's heartfelt rambling.

"I guess I should just go there now," Jack said, standing from his chair. He smashed the letter between two plates of armor, not particularly interested in keeping it presentable. He didn't say anything to Gerald or Ganz as he made his way to the door and started to head downstairs. He went all the way down to the first floor, where his presence immediately drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Thanos was grumbling at his desk, while Conrad was passing through. Others were sat at the table in the corner. Everyone froze what they were doing to stare at Jack.

"You're awake, Chief!" Thanos exclaimed, watching Jack pass. He didn't say anything or acknowledge anyone in the lobby—he went straight for the door. As he was about to leave, the door swung open and Caesar walked in, with David behind him.

"Chief. Glad to see you have at last awakened," Caesar greeted. "David has something to say." Jack let out a furious sigh and stopped; David was blocking the door.

"Chief, I"—

Jack reached out and punched David in the face. David flew backwards, rolling down the steps outside to lay on the sidewalk in shock. Jack's gauntlet left deep indentations on David's face, though he hadn't broken the skin. Jack took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "I already know it was you. I'll deal with you some other time."

He went down the steps and turned left, headed down the street toward the castle without looking back. He heard Caesar helping David up. He honestly wasn't sure how to punish David for betraying his trust. He didn't want to think about it.

He noticed that the people he passed were staring at him differently than they usually did. He passed Zeranium, who was looking especially judgmental. He never liked the old man, anyway.

Jack tried to ignore them all, and headed up the hill towards the castle's south gate. The two heavy guardsmen there saw him coming. When Jack showed no sign of slowing, one of them tried to step in front of him to impede his approach.

"Sir!" the guardsman exclaimed. "Can we help you, sir?"

Jack didn't answer him. He grabbed the crumpled letter from between his armor plates and tossed it at the guardsman before shoving him out of his way and headed into the gate, daring the two men to chase after him. He didn't hear their armor behind him, so he was pleased to assume that they were not following him.

He entered the main part of the castle and proceeded around its perimeter to the staircase. He made his way up to the second floor, and kept going up all the way to the fourth floor. He found the stares in the castle particularly harsh, though he was expecting no less. There were some children playing in the halls, who turned and ran in fear as soon as they saw him. Jack was beginning to grow angry again, and was breathing deeply to try and control his emotions—it was doing little to help. He made his way directly towards Larks' room, ignoring everyone who tried to speak to him.

Finally, he reached the door of the knight commander. Forgetting all manners and respect, Jack barged in without knocking. Larks was organizing some stacks of papers, and jumped with surprise at the unannounced intrusion. But as soon as he saw it was just a furious Dragonheart, he calmed down.

"Hello, Dragonheart," he greeted. "I see you are quite furious about the recent rumor."

"I expected the castle to be judgmental but the stares of hatred that I'm receiving are pissing me off," Jack said angrily. "Have my years of service to Radiata proven _nothing?"_

"Please, Dragonheart, calm down."

"I've worked for years to protect this city and her people, and then this rumor surfaces and in less than a _day_, the people have lost all trust in me."

"Dragonheart— "

"At this rate, perhaps I should just do as the rumor says and head out for the City of Flowers. At least the elves would trust me!"

"_Dragonheart!"_ Larks exclaimed, trying to interrupt his furious rant. With a loud sigh, Jack finally fell silent, and Larks took the opportunity before it disappeared. "Please, Dragonheart. I know very well that the rumor is groundless."

Jack stared at him in silence.

"I have worked with you for years. I of all people know how hard you've worked to protect this city, and keep your guild respectable. Like I mentioned in my letter, I summoned you here to discuss with you how we can resolve his mess, _not_ to question you on the rumor's truthfulness. I know it isn't true."

Jack sighed, and crossed his arms; his fury was finally starting to subside.

"Please, let's talk, sir." Larks sat in his seat; Jack hesitated for a moment, but then walked over to the opposite side of his desk. "I am well aware that the people of the castle, and likely the people of the city, have all heard this rumor, and from your rage I can assume they are already treating you differently."

"Very."

"If I may ask, how did this rumor come about?"

"Is the rumor even the same here in the castle? Or did it change as it made its way around?"

"The rumor claims you will betray Radiata and side with the elves soon."

"Apparently one of my squads spoke with some elves during a mission to the Elf region. I guess the elves may have mentioned something about me joining them and fighting the humans. The squad brought it back, and one of my less trustworthy warriors heard them talking about it and spread it around."

"It's most unfortunate, to have your trust betrayed like that," Larks said, a disappointed look on his face. "I believe it is something all leaders must go through. I have had the same problem in my ranks of knights before, as well."

"I recently stayed a night in the City of Flowers to recover from some wounds," Jack explained.

"Yes, I heard of it. I am glad you have recovered," Larks said. Jack nodded to him.

"I guess my stay there has led some elves to believe that I will side with them," he said carefully. He knew, of course, that the elves believed what they did because he was a dragon, but he wasn't about to say that to Larks.

"Troublesome, indeed," Larks said with a nod. "I will do my part to silence the rumor within the castle."

"I appreciate it," Jack said thankfully. He truly admired and appreciated Larks. He regretted being so angry at him. "I honestly have no idea how to deny the rumor properly. Every way I think about it, I'll seem like a liar. I do really appreciate that you believe in me."

"See? There was no need to get so upset," Larks said with a smile. "We can solve this problem. I've already spoken to the king about it, as well. He agrees with me that the rumors hold no truth. He knows as well as I do that you protect this city with your heart."

Jack's rage was practically gone. He took a deep breath. "I appreciate this, Lord Larks. I really do."

Larks nodded to him. "You are the castle's greatest ally. We cannot sit idly by while this dreadful rumor spreads. I will get to work here in the castle, and I trust that the king will soon release a formal statement to the city about the rumor's falsehood. As for what you can do personally, I fear you may be right with your fears. Any denial of this rumor can be seen as a lie, and stir unrest in the people. I suppose all you really can do is continue on with your guild as you have been, and be honest any time the rumor is mentioned. We will continue to work from within the castle to help you. Our business together will continue as usual. Please take care, Dragonheart."

"Yes, I will." He took a few steps away from Lark's desk toward the door. "Thank you, Lord Larks. Thank you." He bowed, waiting a moment before leaving the smiling Larks behind to leave the room. He made his way through the castle back towards the first floor, now much more calm that before. He completely ignored everyone he passed, their stares unchanged. He hated it, and kept his head down.

Jack continued through the castle until he reached the south gate. The heavy guardsmen noticed him coming and readied themselves. Instead of shoving his way through, Jack went up to the guard he shoved his way past earlier, and offered him a quick apology before heading past them. The guards stared after him in confusion.

He went silently through the Yellow Town back to Vancoor, heading inside. There were some people loitering around outside, giving him weird looks—he ignored them.

He stepped into the lobby, thankful that David wasn't in sight since he was still very much not in the mood. However, standing at the desk were two men clothed in the robes of the Olacion Order. Jack recognized them instantly. It was Kain, the High Priest of Olacion, and his purple-skinned bodyguard, Achilles. Once Jack entered, Thanos gestured toward him; Kain turned around to face him. Kain smiled warmly at him. He took a few steps forward to meet Jack. "Hello, Chief Dragonheart. I have not seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"I've been better," Jack said honestly. "How about you?"

"I am well, thank you."

"Why are you here?"

"Word has reached Olacion of your impending betrayal," Kain began to explain. Jack sighed. "Fear not, friend. Don't get upset. I know the rumor isn't true, and you don't need to worry about the Order. We all hold you in the highest regard. I came here today to make sure that you know that."

Jack was overwhelmed with relief. "Thank you, Kain. That's great to hear. I appreciate you coming all the way here."

"Of course," Kain said. "The Order will make sure to correct any who voice belief in the rumor. Honestly, I would be most concerned about the members of the Void Guild. I don't think you will face much trouble from the other guilds. It's mostly the people of the city who will take this rumor to heart, I believe."

"I hope you're right. I have been getting a lot of untrusting stares, though."

"Ignore them. I'm sure this will come to pass, and the rumor will be added to the pile of other pointless rumors that already exist."

"Thanks, Kain," Jack said.

"Of course. I must be on my way," he said. Achilles perked up, and the two went past Jack toward the door. "We will be in contact, Dragonheart. I will pray that you find peace of mind in the coming days."

"Thank you again," he repeated. "Have a nice day."

"You as well!" Kain gave a final smile before heading out the door with Achilles behind him. Jack was thankful not only for Kain's trust in him, but also for how short and to-the-point he was. No time was ever wasted in conversations with Kain and Achilles.

Thanos was looking alive over in his seat behind the desk. "See, chief?" he exclaimed. Jack stared at him in surprise. "Everything's gonna work out fine."

"Take a breath, Thanos," Jack warned. "It's weird to see you so excited. Don't you have paperwork to file?"

Thanos' energy died. "Why are you like this? You're like a damned woman…"

Jack chuckled and went to the stairs and up to his office. He was relieved it see it was empty; he'd had an itch that David or Gerald may have been waiting for him there. He sat down at his desk and let himself relaxed. As concerned as he'd been about the new rumor, he was pleased that it was working itself out so far, at least well-enough. It seems the _majority_ of his rage had been misplaced.

Almost as if on cue, the window behind the desk shattered. A small pouch landed on the floor behind the desk. Jack held his breath on impulse, expecting some kind of gas to seep through the pouch. However, nothing happened. So, Jack stood and picked the pouch up; it was light. He opened it and glanced inside. There were dagols inside, and a rolled-up piece of paper. He emptied it onto his desk. It was ten dagols.

He already had an idea what the letter said. He unrolled it and read its message. It was short and straightforward.

_Void will only stoop so low._

Jack's suspicions were confirmed. This was Ortoroz's way off cutting of their friendship. Jack chuckled to himself. Void would only go so low? He sound aloud hatefully, to himself, "Since when does Void have _morals?"_

The door to his office flew open. Gerald stepped inside. "Chief! What happened? I heard the window break."

"Got a message from Void, that's all," Jack said, tossing the message onto the desk and resting his chin in his hand. Gerald sighed and walked over, picking up the message and reading it for himself.

"What significance does _this_ hold?" Gerald asked angrily, tossing the dagols around.

"When Ortoroz and I first met, he tried to pickpocket me. I gave him the money anyway and told him we were friends, since he'd be better off having powerful friends than trying—and failing—to steal from powerful people. I guess that giving me the ten dagols back is his way of saying that any relationship between Vancoor and Void is gone."

"Not that there was one before, anyway," Gerald grumbled.

Jack just laughed. "Our guilds may fight but Ortoroz and I have always been on good terms. It's not our fault our subordinates hate each other."

"If you're on good terms, why would he do this?"

Jack just shrugged. "I should probably go ask about it."

"Doubt you'd be welcome in that part of town."

"As if they could stop me from coming."

Gerald nodded in approval. Jack stood from his desk, once again deciding to leave Vancoor to try and set the rumor straight himself. He didn't like Void as a guild, but he did consider himself friends with Ortoroz, and why lose that friendship now? For as close as he _thought_ they'd been, he was surprised to be getting this reaction from him.

At least this early on. It seemed more likely for Ortoroz to investigate before dropping their friendship completely.

And so again, he made his way out of Vancoor and into Yellow Town to begin the long trek to Black Town. He made his way to Blue Town, then followed the outer path to the entrance of Black Town. He got a few stares in Blue Town, but none were particularly offensive.

But Black Town was a different story. He walked along the road to the dead end, and turned up to the staircase. He went up into the Beast Pit. Following the small road there, he passed Eon, who was glaring at him and flashing his knife. As Jack passed, he heard Eon spit out some insult, but Jack ignored it. He'd never really been a welcome sight in the Beast Pit, but now it was sure to be way worse than usual.

Elmo and Flau were at the top of the next staircase. Elmo giggled, and threw some trash at Jack. It slid off his armor, leaving a sludge trail. Jack frowned deeply. When he looked down at it, Flau shoved past him to head down the stairs.

"Move it, _elf man."_

Jack stared hatefully at her. Void was worse than he thought.

He continued navigating his way through the Beast Pit toward Club Vampire, where Ortoroz would be. He went down some stairs, where Solo was crouched at the bottom. He stared up at him, but didn't say anything.

He went toward the stairs to Club Vampire, but when he turned to head down, he found himself facing Nocturne. He frowned again. Just the person he didn't want to see.

"Can I help you, elf man?" Nocturne asked, blocking the staircase.

"I need to speak with Ortoroz."

"He doesn't wanna speak to _you."_ Jack tried to pass, but Nocturne pushed him back and held his ground. "Humans only in Club Vampire."

"I am human," Jack lied, getting fed up with him.

"Not according to what we heard recently. You're gonna join the elves or something? Would make perfect sense if you were actually a dragon like they say. Sorry, no dragons in Club Vampire."

"Either get out of the way, or I'll move you myself," Jack threatened.

Nocturne wasn't fazed. Jack's lack of presence in the Void Community had obviously led its members to believe they were actually a match for him. Jack was more than ready to prove Nocturne wrong—he didn't have his axe, but he didn't need it to put Nocturne in his place.

"Even if you force your way past me, you'll have a harder time inside. You aren't welcome here, elf man."

"Fine. In an effort not to worsen my reputation, I won't force my way through. But tell Ortoroz that I'll be back tonight, and if he still won't talk to me, then I really _will_ force my way in."

"As if you could pull that off," Nocturne chuckled.

In a burst of rage, Jack grabbed Nocturne by the throat and lifted him up. Nocturne was shocked, and struggled to escape.

"It seems that you guys have forgotten who I am, since I try not to come here. If you think you can stop me from going in when I come back, I dare you to try. Tell Ortoroz I'll be back tonight, and if he still won't see me, tell him I'll be coming in regardless, and believe me. No one wants _me_ forcing my way in."

He tossed Nocturne down the staircase, where he rolled into the door with a loud grunt. He held his throat, coughing. Still furious, Jack turned on his heel to head back out of the Beast Pit the same way he came in. Jack was shocked by his own behavior. Solo jumped back away from him, having seen how easily he'd man-handled his boss. Jack navigated his way back through the Beast Pit to where Elmo was standing. Elmo was giggling and had another handful of trash ready to throw.

When he threw it, Jack smacked it out of the air and was on top of Elmo before he could react. He grabbed Elmo by the back of his shirt and effortlessly lifted him up into the air, carrying him with him. Elmo was tiny, so Jack didn't have any problem.

"Hey! Lemme go!" Elmo screeched, trying to get free. But Jack's grip was a strong as iron. He carried Elmo by the shirt down the staircase. Butch was at the bottom, rummaging through some boxes. Elmo saw him. "Butch! Help!"

Butch stared in shock at Jack, but made no move to rescue the small bandit. Elmo continued to struggle pointlessly against Jack. He rounded the corner and went straight toward the fly-infested trash cans. With his free hand, Jack threw the lid off, and then he shoved Elmo down into the trash can. Sludge and trash covered Elmo, staining his shirt and sticking to his skin. The flies buzzed furiously around him. Jack didn't say anything, he just turned and left Elmo in the can.

And he could _barely_ believe how angry he'd let himself get.

**For anyone who read the original, the changes I made are:****  
****Jack's reaction to the new rumor is different. Originally I had him storming around, getting furious at everyone. In the new one he's more like "well fuck, I can't fix this one" instead although he does still get angry****  
****Jack doesn't beat up David and kick him out of Vancoor (though I still did have Jack punch him because David's a little shit and I wanted him to feel pain)****  
****I kept the part with Larks, but changed their dialogue a bit. Instead of Larks asking Jack to take care of matters in the city, I have Larks promising that he and the King will support him through the rumor, blah****  
****Jack doesn't travel around the city to talk to all the guild leaders. Instead, Kain visits him. He doesn't meet the Vareth President at all this chapter anymore. I did, however, keep the stuff between Jack and Void because his confrontation with the guild is something I've had planned for the next chapter for like 6 months.****  
****I didn't have Jack go to Vareth at all, and I also took out his journey to the City of Flowers. I figured ending after his problems with the Void would be better since a big part of the next chapter will be the two guilds having a hissy fit****  
****Apologies if anyone who read the old chapter actually liked it but I went back and reread it and absolutely loathed it. I think this one is better.**


End file.
